Electrophysiologic features of fibular neuropathy in childhood and adolescence.
We studied patterns of nerve injury in pediatric common fibular (peroneal) neuropathy (CFN).



A retrospective analysis was performed on data from 53 children with CFN at a pediatric electromyography laboratory.



Conduction block at the fibular head was present in 35% of patients. Deep fibular axonal loss was identified in 77%, while superficial fibular axonal loss was identified in 45%. The pathophysiology was predominantly axonal in 72%, mostly demyelinating in 6%, and mixed in 22%. Predominantly demyelinating lesions at the fibular head demonstrated sparing of the superficial fibular sensory nerve (P = 0.01, Fischer exact test). Predominantly axonal lesions had a moderate correlation between superficial and deep fibular axonal loss (Spearman r = 0.52; P = 0.0001).



There is frequent axonal and fascicular injury in pediatric CFN, similar to adults. Deep and superficial fibular nerve involvements correlate in axonal lesions, whereas superficial fibular sensory fibers are often spared in demyelinating lesions. Muscle Nerve, 2016 Muscle Nerve 55: 693-697, 2017.
Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.|Department of Neurology, Lahey Clinic, Burlington, Massachusetts, USA.|Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Ioannis
I
Karakis
Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.|Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Mohammad
M
Khoshnoodi
Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.|Department of Neurology, KK Women's & Children's Hospital, Singapore.
Wendy
W
Liew
Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Elizabeth S
ES
Nguyen
Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.|Department of Neurology, Lahey Clinic, Burlington, Massachusetts, USA.
H Royden
HR
Jones
Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Basil T
BT
Darras
Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.|Division of Pediatric Neurology, University of Florida College of Medicine, PO Box 100296, Gainesville, Florida, USA, 32610.
Peter B
PB
Kang
D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D000293:Adolescent; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology*; D010543:Peroneal Nerve / Q000503:physiopathology*; D020427:Peroneal Neuropathies / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult
clinical neurophysiology; common fibular nerve; common fibular neuropathy; common peroneal neuropathy; electrodiagnosis; electromyography (EMG); pediatric EMG