title: [Paresthesia and/or pain affecting the hand and/or wrist as a referral for electrodiagnostic studies].
abstract: To study the reasons for referral to electrodiagnostic evaluation, 490 patients referred for electrodiagnostic evaluation to two laboratories (UNIFESP and UNEF) answered the following question: "What was the reason that brought you to look for a physician and that led him to ask this examination?" Paresthesia and/or pain were answered as the main reason by 175 of them (26% UNIFESP and 40% UNEF). The electromyographical examinations were normal in 30.8% and 35.3% and involvement of the median nerve at the wrist was detected in 5 9% and 51.5% of them. Nocturnal symptoms and paresthesia were commonly noted in both groups of patients; they, however, were not able to separate the patients with and without median nerve compression at the wrist. The question asked seems to be a useful selection instrument, to select two similar symptomatic samples of patients from two laboratories serving with very different target populations.
authors.affiliation: Setor de Neurofisiologia Clínica da Disciplina de Neurologia da Universidade Federal de São Paulo- Escola Paulista de Medicina, São Paulo, SP, Brasil. cccampos@uol.com.br
authors.forename: Carmelinda Correia
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: de Campos
authors.forename: Gilberto Mastrocola
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Manzano
authors.forename: Adauto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Castelo Filho
authors.forename: João Antonio Maciel
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Nóbrega
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002349:Carpal Tunnel Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D004568:Electrodiagnosis; D004576:Electromyography; D006225:Hand; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D010146:Pain / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010292:Paresthesia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D018579:Patient Selection; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014953:Wrist
vernacular_title: Parestesia e/ou dor nas mãos e/ou punhos como motivo de encaminhamento para estudo eletroneuromiográfico.