Apparent conduction block in patients with ulnar neuropathy at the elbow and proximal Martin-Gruber anastomosis.
A Martin-Gruber anastomosis (MGA) commonly results in an abnormal decline in amplitude across the forearm segment when ulnar motor nerve conduction studies are performed. A recent report described a proximal MGA resembling partial conduction block in a patient with ulnar neuropathy at the elbow (UNE). As a result, we screened patients with similar findings. We detected a proximal MGA in three patients over a period of 2 years, which suggests that this may be an under-recognized anomaly. We conclude that a proximal MGA must be excluded in all cases of UNE showing apparent partial conduction block across the elbow segment.
Department of Neurology, University of Connecticut Health Center, 263 Farmington Avenue, Farmington, Connecticut 06030, USA. cwhitaker@uchc.edu
Charles H
CH
Whitaker
Kevin J
KJ
Felice
D000328:Adult; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004550:Elbow / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009421:Nervous System Malformations / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology*; D014459:Ulnar Nerve / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D020424:Ulnar Neuropathies / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*