Yonsei Med J.  2003 Jun;44(3):479-484. 10.3349/ymj.2003.44.3.479.

Tenelectrodes: a New Stimulator for Inching Technique in the Diagnosis of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

• Kang YK
• Kim DH
• Lee SH
• Hwang M
• Han MS

• KMID: 720878
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2003.44.3.479

Abstract

This study was designed to evaluate the usefulness of a new multielectrode stimulator, TenElectrodes, in the diagnosis and localization of the compression site in the wrists of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) patients. Antidromic inching technique (IT) of the median nerve at the wrist was performed with the TenElectrodes, on 46 controls and 21 CTS patients. In controls, mean conduction delay per centimeter (CD/cm) was 0.21 milliseconds (ms), and maximal CD/cm was 0.27 ms in the segment 3 to 4 centimeters distal to the distal wrist crease. The abnormal cut-off value, calculated as the maximal CD/cm + 2SD, was 0.45 ms. In the CTS group, the maximal CD/cm was 0.56 ms in the segment 2 to 3 centimeters distal to the distal wrist crease, and the CD/cm values in all segments between the distal wrist crease and 4 cm distal to the distal wrist crease were greater than 0.45 ms. Antidromic IT using TenElectrodes may be an easy, fast and accurate method as the electrodes of the stimulator are aligned at 1-cm intervals and are adjustable to the wrist contour by springs.

Keyword

Carpal tunnel syndrome; inching technique; nerve conduction study; median nerve; multielectrode stimulator

MeSH Terms

Adult
Aged
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome/*diagnosis/physiopathology
*Electrodes
Electrodiagnosis/*instrumentation
Equipment Design
Female
Human
Male
Middle Aged
Muscle, Skeletal/physiopathology
Neural Conduction
Neurons, Afferent/physiology
Reaction Time