title: Lumbrical and interossei recording in severe carpal tunnel syndrome.
abstract: Patients with severe carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) may occasionally have absent median motor and sensory responses; in these cases, it is not possible to accurately localize the median mononeuropathy to the wrist using standard electrodiagnostic tests. We prospectively investigated the use of comparing the median motor latency to the second lumbrical and the ulnar motor latency to the interossei muscles in 28 patient hands with severe CTS and absent median motor and sensory responses. We found a prolonged latency difference in 92.8%. Along with its use in mild CTS, study of the lumbrical-interossei latency difference is helpful in patients with severe CTS with absent median motor and sensory responses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Hospitals of Cleveland, Case Western Reserve University, 11100 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44106-5098, USA.
authors.forename: Kanokwan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Boonyapisit
authors.forename: Bashar
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Katirji
authors.forename: Barbara E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Shapiro
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Preston
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002349:Carpal Tunnel Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008475:Median Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000502:physiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index