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[Thulium laser evoked potentials. Normative values for the arms and legs]
D Devos1, C Creac'h, E Laureau
1Service de neurophysiologie clinique, hôpital Roger-Salengro, centre hospitalier régional universitaire de Lille, 59037 Lille, France.
Neurophysiologie Clinique = Clinical Neurophysiology
|December 29, 2000
Summary
Thulium YAG laser somatosensory evoked potentials (LSEP) offer a reliable method for assessing thermoalgic pathway integrity. This technique using optical fibers provides robust and reproducible results for clinical use.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biomedical Engineering
- Pain Research
Context:
- Laser somatosensory evoked potentials (LSEP) assess the functional integrity of thermoalgic pathways.
- Thulium YAG lasers, deliverable via optical fibers, offer improved accessibility for stimulating nociceptive afferences (A delta and C fibers) compared to CO2 lasers.
Purpose:
- To present normative data for thulium YAG LSEPs recorded from upper and lower limbs.
- To establish the reliability and reproducibility of thulium YAG LSEPs for clinical application.
Summary:
- Normative data were collected from 15 participants using thulium YAG LSEPs, stimulating at twice the nociceptive threshold for upper limbs and 1.5 times for lower limbs.
- Nociceptive thresholds were measured (UL: 319 ± 65 mJ, LL: 359 ± 95 mJ).
- Mean latencies for N2 and P2 components were recorded (UL: 199 ± 18 ms and 325 ± 37 ms; LL: 239 ± 36 ms and 378 ± 38 ms).
Impact:
- The thulium YAG laser LSEP method is robust, reproducible, and suitable for routine clinical use.
- A proposed 'A-B-B-A' stimulation procedure can optimize response stability.
- This technique provides a reliable tool for evaluating the functional integrity of pain pathways.