Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 31, 2026
06:40
Screening of Axonal Degeneration in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Using Ultrasonography and Nerve Conduction Studies
Published on: January 11, 2019
Does cervical radiculopathy have an effect on peripheral nerve conduction studies? An electrophysiological evaluation
Kemal Balci1, Talip Asil, Ilkay Tekinaslan
1Departments of Neurology and School of Medicine, University of Ondokuz Mayıs, Samsun, Turkey. kemalbalcidr@yahoo.com
European Neurology
|July 16, 2011
Summary
Cervical radiculopathy (CR) does not cause distal nerve damage. Studies show no increased ulnar nerve issues at the elbow, but median nerve neuropathy at the wrist was more common in CR patients.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Neurophysiology
Background:
- Peripheral nerve neuropathies are frequently observed alongside cervical radiculopathy (CR).
- A proximal axonal lesion in CR may increase susceptibility to distal nerve injury.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the hypothesis that CR predisposes nerves to distal injury.
- To determine the frequency of median nerve neuropathy at the wrist and ulnar nerve neuropathy at the elbow in CR patients.
Main Methods:
- Compared electrophysiological parameters of median and ulnar nerve conduction in symptomatic and asymptomatic extremities of 80 CR patients.
- Analyzed nerve conduction studies across diagnostic subgroups: C5/C6, C7, and C8/Th1 radiculopathy.
Main Results:
- Median nerve neuropathy at the wrist was more frequent in symptomatic (27.5%) versus asymptomatic (12.5%) extremities.
- Ulnar nerve involvement at the elbow showed no significant difference between symptomatic (3.7%) and asymptomatic (2.5%) extremities.
- These findings were consistent across different CR diagnostic subgroups.
Conclusions:
- Electrophysiological data do not support a causative link between CR and distal median or ulnar nerve neuropathy.
- The association between CR and peripheral neuropathy appears to be correlational, not causal.
