title: Relationship between Semmes-Weinstein Monofilaments perception Test and sensory nerve conduction studies in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Semmes-Weinstein Monofilament Test (SWMT) is a clinical widely used test to quantify the sensibility in patients with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS). No study has investigated the relationship between the SWMT and sensory nerve conduction studies (SNCS) in patients with CTS.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the relationship between the SWMT and SNCS findings in patients with CTS.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional clinical measurement study included 35 patients with CTS (55 hands) with a mean age of 45 ± 12 years. The outcome measures were the SWMT and SNCS measures of distal latency (DLs), amplitude (AMPs), and nerve conduction velocity (NCV). The median innervated fingers were tested using SWMT and electrodiagnostic tests. The primary outcome was the correlations between the SWMTs and NCS measures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All of the patients/hands had abnormal NCS findings. When looking at the three digits of interest (thumb, index and middle), the thumb SWMTs had the highest number of abnormal findings (58.2%), with the middle digit having the lowest (45.5%). All NCS findings were statistically different between abnormal and normal thumb SWMTs and abnormal and normal total summed SWMTs. There were significant moderate correlations between thumb SWMT scores and all NCS outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although only approximately 50% of the CTS diagnosed through NCS are corroborated through SWMT; the significant associations between SWMT and NCS measures suggest that SWMT is a valid test for assessing sensations in patients with CTS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Rehabilitation, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Parvin
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Raji
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy, School of Rehabilitation, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Noureddin Nakhostin
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Ansari
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy, School of Rehabilitation, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Soofia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Naghdi
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Firoozgar University Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Bijan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Forogh
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hasson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002349:Carpal Tunnel Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004568:Electrodiagnosis / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005385:Fingers / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008475:Median Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009431:Neural Conduction; D009460:Neurologic Examination / Q000379:methods*; D010812:Physical Stimulation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012677:Sensation; D011984:Sensory Receptor Cells; D013933:Thumb / Q000503:physiopathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome; Semmes-Weinstein Monofilament Test; nerve conduction study