title: Diagnostic Value of the Second Lumbrical-Interosseous Distal Motor Latency Comparison Test in Severe Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the usefulness of the second lumbrical-interosseous (2L-INT) distal motor latency (DML) comparison test in localizing median neuropathy to the wrist in patients with absent median sensory and motor response in routine nerve conduction studies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Electrodiagnostic results from 1,705 hands of patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) symptoms were reviewed retrospectively. All subjects were evaluated using routine nerve conduction studies: median sensory conduction recorded from digits 1 to 4, motor conduction from the abductor pollicis brevis muscle, and the 2L-INT DML comparison test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four hundred and one hands from a total of 1,705 were classified as having severe CTS. Among the severe CTS group, 56 hands (14.0%) showed absent median sensory and motor response in a routine nerve conduction study, and, of those hands, 42 (75.0%) showed an abnormal 2L-INT response.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The 2L-INT DML comparison test proved to be a valuable electrodiagnostic technique in localizing median mononeuropathy at the wrist, even in the most severe CTS patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Hallym University Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: SangHun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Hallym University Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: DongHyun
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Hallym University Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Hee-Mun
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Hallym University Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Ho-Sung
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Nam
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Hallym University Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Dong-Sik
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Park
keywords: Carpal tunnel syndrome; Nerve conduction; Second lumbrical-interosseous distal motor latency comparison test