title: Reliability, reference values and predictor variables of the ulnar sensory nerve in disease free adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purposes of this descriptive and exploratory study were to examine electrophysiological measures of ulnar sensory nerve function in disease free adults to determine reliability, determine reference values computed with appropriate statistical methods, and examine predictive ability of anthropometric variables.
  
  
  METHODS
  Antidromic sensory nerve conduction studies of the ulnar nerve using surface electrodes were performed on 100 volunteers. Reference values were computed from optimally transformed data. Reliability was computed from 30 subjects. Multiple linear regression models were constructed from four predictor variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Reliability was greater than 0.85 for all paired measures. Responses were elicited in all subjects; reference values for sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) amplitude from above elbow stimulation are 3.3 μV and decrement across-elbow less than 46%. No single predictor variable accounted for more than 15% of the variance in the response.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Electrophysiologic measures of the ulnar sensory nerve are reliable. Absent SNAP responses are inconsistent with disease free individuals. Reference values recommended in this report are based on appropriate transformations of non-normally distributed data. No strong statistical model of prediction could be derived from the limited set of predictor variables.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Reliability analyses combined with relatively low level of measurement error suggest that ulnar sensory reference values may be used with confidence.
authors.affiliation: Trine University, Fort Wayne, IN, United States. Electronic address: ruedigert@trine.edu.
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Ruediger
authors.affiliation: Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions, Provo, UT, United States, Baylor University, San Antonio, TX, United States; U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA, United States.
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Allison
authors.affiliation: Graduate School Academy of Health Science Fort Sam Houston, TX, United States.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.affiliation: Texas State University, Boerne, TX, United States.
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Wainner
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D000328:Adult; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014459:Ulnar Nerve / Q000502:physiology*; D020424:Ulnar Neuropathies / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Conduction nerveuse; Fiabilité; Nerf ulnaire sensitif; Nerve conduction; Normes; Reference values; Reliability; Ulnar sensory