Ann Rehabil Med.  2015 Feb;39(1):47-51. 10.5535/arm.2015.39.1.47.

Ultrasound-Guided Lateral Femoral Cutaneous Nerve Conduction Study

• Park BJ
• Joeng ES
• Choi JK
• Kang S
• Yoon JS
• Yang SN

• KMID: 2273018
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5535/arm.2015.39.1.47

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
To verify the utility of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (LFCN) ultrasound-guided conduction technique compared to that of the conventional nerve conduction technique.
METHODS
Fifty-eight legs of 29 healthy participants (18 males and 11 females; mean age, 42.7+/-14.9 years) were recruited. The conventional technique was performed bilaterally. The LFCN was localized by ultrasound. Cross-sectional area (CSA) of the LFCN and the distance between the anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS) and the LFCN was measured. The nerve conduction study was repeated with the corrected cathode location. Sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) amplitudes of the LFCN were recorded and compared between the ultrasound-guided and conventional techniques.
RESULTS
Mean body mass index of the participants was 23.7+/-3.5 kg/m2, CSA was 4.2+/-1.9 mm2, and the distance between the ASIS and LFCN was 5.6+/-1.7 mm. The mean amplitude values were 6.07+/-0.52 microV and 6.66+/-0.54 microV using the conventional and ultrasound-guided techniques, respectively. The SNAP amplitude of the LFCN using the ultrasound-guided technique was significantly larger than that recorded using the conventional technique.
CONCLUSION
Correcting the stimulation position using the ultrasound-guided technique helped obtain increased SNAP amplitude.

Keyword

Ultrasound-guided; Nerve conduction study; Lateral femoral cutaneous nerve; Ultrasonography; Lumbosacral plexus

MeSH Terms

Action Potentials
Body Mass Index
Electrodes
Female
Humans
Leg
Lumbosacral Plexus
Male
Neural Conduction*
Spine
Ultrasonography

Figure

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  Fig. 1 The E1 electrode was placed 12 cm distal to the anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS) along an imaginary line between the ASIS and the lateral border of the patella. The E2 electrode was placed 4 cm distal to the E1. Stimulation was performed with a stimulator placed 1 cm medial to the ASIS.

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  Fig. 2 Sonographic findings of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve at the anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS) (arrowhead).

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  Fig. 3 (A) Photograph of the stimulation site for the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve conduction study using the conventional technique (arrow) and the ultrasound-guided technique (arrowhead) around the anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS) (asterisks). (B) Sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (LFCN) using the conventional technique. (C) SNAP of the LFCN using the ultrasound-guided technique.

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