title: Reduced sensory nerve conduction velocity of the distal part of the radial nerve among patients with vibration syndrome.
abstract: The present study was aimed at clarifying the effects of vibration syndrome (VS) on the distal part of the radial nerve, which is rarely affected by chronic entrapment. Thirty-one patients with VS due to previous exposure to vibration and 18 age-matched controls were examined for sensory nerve conduction velocities in the distal part of the radial nerve (SCV-DR) in the dorsal side of the hand. The patient group was divided into two subgroups, one of those with vibration-induced white finger (VWF) in the thumb or index finger where sensory nerves are innervated by the radial nerve (N = 21) and the other without VWF (N = 10). SCV-DR among the patients was significantly slower than in the controls (t = 3.55, p = 0.00138). The ANOVA of SCV-DR for the three groups showed F2, 46 = 5.25 (p = 0.0088). A significant difference was found between the controls and the VWF (+) group (p = 0.0233), but not between the controls and the VWF (-) group (p = 0.478) by multiple comparison using Scheffe's method. These findings suggest that VS affects the radial nerve with a direct vibration effect and/or a co-operative effect with direct circulatory disturbance manifested by VWF.
authors.affiliation: Division of Public Health of Nursing, Department of Health Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan. hirata@niih.go.jp
authors.forename: Mamoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hirata
authors.forename: Hisataka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sakakibara
authors.forename: Mitsuru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abe
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D000368:Aged; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005385:Fingers / Q000294:innervation / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology*; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011826:Radial Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012678:Sensation Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013577:Syndrome; D013933:Thumb / Q000294:innervation / Q000503:physiopathology; D014732:Vibration / Q000009:adverse effects*