title: Effects of acute organophosphorus poisoning on function of peripheral nerves: a cohort study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Following acute organophosphorus (OP) poisoning patients complain of numbness without objective sensory abnormalities or other features of OP induced delayed polyneuropathy. The aim of this study was to measure peripheral nerve function after acute exposure to OP.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cohort study was conducted with age, gender and occupation matched controls. Motor nerve conduction velocity (MNCV), amplitude and area of compound muscle action potential (CMAP), sensory nerve conduction velocity (SNCV), F- waves and electromyography (EMG) on the deltoid and the first dorsal interosseous muscles on the dominant side were performed, following acute OP poisoning. All neurophysiological assessments except EMG were performed on the controls. Assessments were performed on the day of discharge from the hospital (the first assessment) and six weeks (the second assessment) after the exposure. The controls were assessed only once.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 70 patients (50 males) and 70 controls. Fifty-three patients attended for the second assessment. In the first assessment MNCV of all the motor nerves examined, CMAP amplitude and SNCV of ulnar nerve, median and ulnar F-wave occurrence in the patients were significantly reduced compared to the controls. In the second assessment significant reduction was found in SNCV of both sensory nerves examined, MNCV of ulnar nerve, CMAP amplitude of common peroneal nerve, F-wave occurrence of median and ulnar nerves. No abnormalities were detected in the patients when compared to the standard cut-off values of nerve conduction studies except F-wave occurrence. EMG studies did not show any abnormality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was no strong evidence of irreversible peripheral nerve damage following acute OP poisoning, however further studies are required.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ruhuna, Galle, Sri Lanka. sudheerasj@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Sudheera S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Jayasinghe
authors.forename: Kithsiri D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Pathirana
authors.forename: Nick A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Buckley
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D009431:Neural Conduction; D062025:Organophosphate Poisoning / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010525:Peripheral Nerves / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010575:Pesticides / Q000506:poisoning; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D010575:Pesticides