title: The axonal carpal tunnel syndrome.
abstract: Five patients with typical unilateral carpal tunnel syndrome features were studied. Each patient had a normal electrodiagnostic evaluation, including needle examination (C5 to C8T1), distal motor latency, palm to wrist orthodromic sensory conduction velocity, and special tests: median-ulnar latency difference of the 4th digit, palmar centimetric technique. Only a new test, the orthodromic sensory ultra distal test of all the digits, revealed a significant axonal loss (60-90%) in at least two median digits allowing the diagnosis of median nerve impairment. These findings led us to propose the term, axonal carpal tunnel syndrome for this early stage of the disorder.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'Electromyographie, Paris, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Seror
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001369:Axons / Q000473:pathology* / Q000502:physiology; D002349:Carpal Tunnel Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004594:Electrophysiology; D005260:Female; D005385:Fingers / Q000294:innervation; D006225:Hand / Q000294:innervation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008475:Median Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology