On-nerve needle nerve conduction study in the sural nerve: A new technique for evaluation of peripheral neuropathy.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to compare the nerve conduction study (NCS) data by the surface electrode (SE)-NCS versus the on-nerve needle (ONN)-NCS and to assess their clinical usefulness in the diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy.


METHODS
Sensory compound nerve action potentials (CNAPs) were obtained by the ONN-NCS with needle electrodes placed on the exposed sural nerve during biopsy in 94 patients with peripheral neuropathy.


RESULTS
The ONN-NCS is possible in 95% of cases. The ONN-NCS was able to record sensory CNAP in 15% of cases when it was unobtainable in the SE-NCS. The ONN-NCS showed higher amplitude and longer duration of the CNAP but a slower maximum nerve conduction velocity (NCV) than the SE-NCS. The ONN-NCS showed a significantly better concordance with the nerve biopsy findings, especially in demyelinating neuropathy.


CONCLUSIONS
The ONN-NCS is a better electrophysiological test for the histopathological correlation with nerve biopsy.


CONCLUSIONS
The ONN-NCS was able to record sensory CNAP in 15% of cases when it was unobtainable in the SE-NCS.
Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA. Electronic address: shinjoh@uab.edu.
Shin J
SJ
Oh
Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Okayama, Japan.
Shoji
S
Hemmi
Teikyo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Yuki
Y
Hatanaka
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004566:Electrodes; D004568:Electrodiagnosis / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009339:Needles; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology*; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013497:Sural Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology*
Electrophysiological test; Nerve conduction test; On-nerve needle nerve conduction; Peripheral neuropathy; Sensory nerve conduction