Involvement of distal sensory nerves in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
The diagnostic criteria for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) require normal sensory nerve conduction studies (NCS) or abnormal NCS only in the presence of neuropathy of identified etiology. In this study, we investigated the presence and extent of involvement of Aß sensory fibers in ALS.



Distal sensory NCS [antidromic dorsal sural (DS) and orthodromic medial plantar (MP)] and conventional sensory NCS (unilateral median sensory and bilateral sural nerves) were performed in 16 definite and 2 probable ALS patients (based on Awaji criteria) and 31 controls.



Abnormal conventional sensory NCS were found in 8 (44.4%) ALS patients and 1 (3.2%) control subject (P = 0.002), whereas abnormal distal sensory NCS were found in 12 (66.7%) ALS patients and 3 (9.6%) controls (P < 0.0001).



Distal sensory NCS were more often abnormal than conventional sensory NCS in ALS. Muscle Nerve 54: 1086-1092, 2016.
Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Nørrebrogade 44, Building 10, DK-8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.
Baris
B
Isak
Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Nørrebrogade 44, Building 10, DK-8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.
Hatice
H
Tankisi
Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Nørrebrogade 44, Building 10, DK-8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.
Birger
B
Johnsen
Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Nørrebrogade 44, Building 10, DK-8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.
Kirsten
K
Pugdahl
Department of Neurology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
Anette
A
Torvin MØLler
Danish Pain Research Centre, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
Nanna Brix
NB
Finnerup
Department of Neurology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
Peter BrØGger
PB
Christensen
Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Nørrebrogade 44, Building 10, DK-8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.
Anders
A
Fuglsang-Frederiksen
D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004568:Electrodiagnosis; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013497:Sural Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013979:Tibial Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology*
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; dorsal sural; medial plantar; nerve conduction studies; neuropathy; sensory