Variability of pudendal and median nerve sensory perception thresholds in healthy persons.
BACKGROUND
Normative current perception thresholds (CPTs) are used for the evaluation of sensory function in a variety of diseases.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the reproducibility of CPT measurements with sinusoidal current in healthy volunteers.


METHODS
Neuroselective CPT evaluations of the median and pudendal nerve in healthy volunteers were repeated with 1 week interval (T1 and T2).


RESULTS
In the study group (N = 41) no difference between genders for age (MW-U: P = 0.91) and BMI (t-test: P = 0.18) were found. No significant difference between T1 and T2 was found (Paired t-test: all P-values > 0.05), although the intraclass correlation for each person was low. The variability of measures for the pudendal nerve was: ICC 2 kHz: 0.41; 250 Hz: 0.30; 5 Hz: 0.38, and for the median nerve respectively: 0.58; 0.46; 0.40. Normal CPTs were shown for the pudendal nerve: 2 kHz: 51%; 250 Hz: 76%; 5 Hz: 71%, and median nerve respectively: 78%; 98%; 80%. The pudendal nerve showed more deviating values compared to the median nerve.


CONCLUSIONS
Both nerves showed deviating values. CPT values with sinusoidal current assessed with 1 week interval, showed a weak intraclass correlation. This finding limits the use of CPT values with this current for longitudinal studies.
University Hospital Antwerp and University Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium.
Jörgen
J
Quaghebeur
Jean-Jacques
JJ
Wyndaele
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008475:Median Nerve / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009460:Neurologic Examination / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D015588:Observer Variation; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D060525:Pudendal Nerve / Q000502:physiology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012684:Sensory Thresholds; D004561:Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation / Q000295:instrumentation; D055815:Young Adult
afferent; chronic pain; electric stimulation; median nerve; neurometer; neuropathy; pudendal nerve; sine-wave current; threshold