Tenelectrodes: a new stimulator for inching technique in the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome.
This study was designed to evaluate the usefulness of a new multielectrode stimulator, TenElectrodes, in the diagnosis and localization of the compression site in the wrists of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) patients. Antidromic inching technique (IT) of the median nerve at the wrist was performed with the TenElectrodes, on 46 controls and 21 CTS patients. In controls, mean conduction delay per centimeter (CD/cm) was 0.21 milliseconds (ms), and maximal CD/cm was 0.27 ms in the segment 3 to 4 centimeters distal to the distal wrist crease. The abnormal cut-off value, calculated as the maximal CD/cm + 2SD, was 0.45 ms. In the CTS group, the maximal CD/cm was 0.56 ms in the segment 2 to 3 centimeters distal to the distal wrist crease, and the CD/cm values in all segments between the distal wrist crease and 4 cm distal to the distal wrist crease were greater than 0.45 ms. Antidromic IT using TenElectrodes may be an easy, fast and accurate method as the electrodes of the stimulator are aligned at 1-cm intervals and are adjustable to the wrist contour by springs.
Kang
Yoon-Kyoo
YK
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Korea University Ansan Hospital, 516 Kojan-dong, Ansan-si, Kyungki-do 425-707, Korea. yykang@unitel.co.kr
Kim
Dong-Hwee
DH
Lee
Seung-Hwa
SH
Hwang
Miriam
M
Han
Myung-Soo
MS
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002349:Carpal Tunnel Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004566:Electrodes; D004568:Electrodiagnosis / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000503:physiopathology; D009431:Neural Conduction; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000502:physiology; D011930:Reaction Time