title: Comparison of automated versus traditional nerve conduction study methods for median nerve testing in a general worker population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the validity of automated nerve conduction studies compared to traditional electrodiagnostic studies (EDS) for testing median nerve abnormalities in a working population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Agreement study and sensitivity investigation from 2 devices.
  
  
  METHODS
  Field research testing laboratory.
  
  
  METHODS
  Active workers from several industries participating in a longitudinal study of carpal tunnel syndrome.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-two subjects received bilateral median and ulnar nerve conduction testing across the wrist with a traditional device and the NC-stat automated device. We compared the intermethod agreement of analogous measurements.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nerve conduction study parameters.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median motor and sensory latency comparisons showed excellent agreement (intraclass correlation coefficients 0.85 and 0.80, respectively). Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves were 0.97 and 0.96, respectively, using the optimal thresholds of 4.4-millisecond median motor latency (sensitivity 100%, specificity 86%) and 3.9-millisecond median sensory latency (sensitivity 100%, specificity 87%). Ulnar nerve testing results were less favorable.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The automated NC-stat device showed excellent agreement with traditional EDS for detecting median nerve conduction abnormalities in a general population of workers, suggesting that this automated nerve conduction device can be used to ascertain research case definitions of carpal tunnel syndrome in population health studies. Further study is needed to determine optimal thresholds for defining median conduction abnormalities in populations that are not seeking clinical care.
authors.affiliation: Divisions of General Medical Sciences and Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, Campus Box 8005, St. Louis, MO 63110(∗). Electronic address: adale@dom.wustl.edu.
authors.forename: Ann Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Dale
authors.affiliation: Divisions of General Medical Sciences and Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO; and Saint Louis University School of Public Health, St Louis, MO(†).
authors.forename: Folasade
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Agboola
authors.affiliation: Saint Louis University School of Public Health, St Louis, MO; and Washington State Hospital Association, Seattle, WA(‡).
authors.forename: Amber
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yun
authors.affiliation: Divisions of General Medical Sciences and Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO; and Saint Louis University School of Public Health, St Louis, MO(§).
authors.forename: Angelique
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zeringue
authors.affiliation: Divisions of General Medical Sciences and Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO(‖).
authors.forename: Muhammed T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Al-Lozi
authors.affiliation: Divisions of General Medical Sciences and Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO(¶).
authors.forename: Bradley
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Evanoff
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002349:Carpal Tunnel Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004568:Electrodiagnosis / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008475:Median Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014459:Ulnar Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055815:Young Adult