title: Premotor potential study in carpal tunnel syndrome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Premotor potentials (PMPs) precede compound muscle action potentials evoked from the second lumbrical muscle after median nerve stimulation. Although PMP has been identified as a median sensory nerve action potential, few reports have documented the significance of PMP parameters for diagnosing carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated the relationships between PMP parameters and results of 6 standard median nerve conduction studies in 74 CTS hands.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant correlations were noted in all comparisons. PMP conduction velocity was strongly correlated with the sensory conduction velocity between wrist and digit 2 (r(2) = 0.91). Moreover, PMP parameters were significantly correlated with neurophysiological severity of CTS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Measuring PMP parameters with a second lumbrical-interosseous study may be useful for diagnosing CTS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Tokai University School of Medicine, 143 Shimokasuya, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-1193, Japan. mi_jiko@fc4.so-net.ne.jp
authors.forename: Mitsuhiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kodama
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sasao
authors.forename: Michi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tochikura
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kasahara
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Koyama
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aono
authors.forename: Chieko
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.forename: Kozo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hanayama
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Yuka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Yoshihisa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Masakado
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002349:Carpal Tunnel Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D004576:Electromyography; D019054:Evoked Potentials, Motor / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand / Q000294:innervation; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008475:Median Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index