J Electrodiagn Neuromuscul Dis.  2021 Apr;23(1):1-10. 10.18214/jend.2020.00157.

Ulnar Nerve Conduction Studies: Reference Standards with Extended Uncertainty in Healthy South Korean Adults

• Chae HJ
• Kim E
• Lee JH
• Lee GJ
• Park J
• Lim JY
• Lee SY
• Lee SU
• Chung SG
• Oh BM

• KMID: 2526166
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.18214/jend.2020.00157

Abstract

Objective
To develop reference standards for motor and sensory ulnar nerve conduction studies (NCSs) in the South Korean population with a detailed consideration of uncertainty.
Methods
Standardized ulnar motor and sensory NCS results from healthy subjects were analyzed. Reference standards of NCSs were produced with uncertainty factors including intra- and inter-observer variability, instrumental variation, distance measurement with a tape ruler, skin surface temperature, and the resolution of NCS machines. We produced a reference value for each parameter with a mean value and expanded uncertainty.
Results
Korean reference standards of motor and sensory NCSs for the ulnar nerve were presented with average measured quantities and expanded uncertainties. All NCS measurands except negative spike duration in motor NCS and onset latency in sensory NCS showed a significant main age effect in two-way ANCOVA. Only peak amplitude and negative spike area in motor NCS showed a main sex effect, which was not observed before adjustment for anthropometric factors. No measurands showed interaction effects between age and sex.
Conclusion
This study presented reference standards of motor and sensory NCSs for the ulnar nerve with a consideration of uncertainty. These standards are expected to improve the diagnostic reliability for ulnar nerve abnormalities.

Keyword

Electrodiagnosis; Reference standards; Ulnar nerve; Uncertainty