title: Sensory perception in uremic patients.
abstract: Peripheral (PNS) and central (CNS) sensory nervous system function was quantitatively assessed using neuroselective transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in a population of 19 chronic hemodialysis patients (ages 17-77, median 47 years; duration 1-14, median 3 years). Cutaneous current perception threshold (CPT) provided an index of PNS integrity, and a new technique involving cranial TENS to characterize cephalic evoked noncutaneous sensations (CENS) was used to assess CNS sensory function. Patients showed both CPT (32%) and CENS (89%) abnormalities as compared with previously tested healthy subjects. No significant correlation was observed between age, duration of dialysis, PNS, and CNS abnormalities. The CPT examination provides a sensitive and easy to administer test of PNS sensory function for the purpose of assessing the adequacy of dialysis in chronic hemodialysis patients; the CENS examination also may prove useful in this regard.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, New York University Medical Center, New York.
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Katims
authors.forename: D N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Weseley
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology; D003391:Cranial Nerves / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005425:Flicker Fusion / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008475:Median Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D012677:Sensation / Q000502:physiology*; D012684:Sensory Thresholds / Q000502:physiology; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D004561:Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation; D014459:Ulnar Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology; D014511:Uremia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014794:Visual Fields / Q000502:physiology