Computer protocol for the electrodiagnostic evaluation of patients with suspected median neuropathy at the wrist

Patients with median entrapment neuropathy at the wrist (MEW) present a large burden to electrodiagnostic (EDx) services. We report here our experience with a computer protocol for EDx standardized evaluation of these patients. The computer program guiding the examiners through the history, focused clinical examination and nerve conduction studies (NCSs), and automatically generating the report was employed in patients with suspected MEW referred to our unit in year 2010. Included were 1,935 patients (3,870 hands) with suspected MEW. Median motor study had to be performed in 100 %, a ring finger sensory comparison study in 99 %, a thumb study in 23 %, wrist study in 3 % and a middle finger study in 19 % of hands with cumulative sensitivities of 45, 68, 73, 74, and 82 %, respectively. In conclusion, our computer program helped to relieve some burden, standardized NCSs and provided data needed to further develop evidence-based protocol for the NCSs in patients with suspected MEW.