title: Median and ulnar nerve conduction studies among workers: normative values.
abstract: To determine normative values for nerve conduction studies among workers, we selected a subset of 326 workers from 955 subjects who participated in medical surveys in the workplace. The reference cohort was composed exclusively of active workers, in contrast to the typical convenience samples. Nerve conduction measures included bilateral median and ulnar sensory amplitude and latency (onset and peak). Workers with upper extremity symptoms, medical conditions that could adversely affect peripheral nerve function, low hand temperature, or highly repetitive jobs were excluded from the "normal" cohort. Linear regression models explained between 21% and 51% of the variance in nerve function, with covariates of age, sex, hand temperature, and anthropometric factors. The most robust models were fitted for sensory amplitudes in the median and ulnar nerves for dominant and nondominant hands. The median-ulnar difference was least sensitive to adjustment, indicating it is the best measure to use if corrections are not made to account for relevant covariates. A key point was that the magnitude of variance increased with age and anthropometric factors. These findings provide strong evidence that to improve diagnostic accuracy, electrodiagnostic testing should control for relevant covariates, particularly age, sex, hand temperature, and anthropometric factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental and Industrial Health, School of Public Health, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109-2029, USA.
authors.forename: D F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Salerno
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Franzblau
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Werner
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Bromberg
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Armstrong
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Albers
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000886:Anthropometry; D001831:Body Temperature; D002349:Carpal Tunnel Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004568:Electrodiagnosis / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008475:Median Nerve / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D012016:Reference Values; D012737:Sex Factors; D014459:Ulnar Nerve / Q000502:physiology*