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Updated: May 5, 2026

Screening of Axonal Degeneration in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Using Ultrasonography and Nerve Conduction Studies
Published on: January 11, 2019
Difference in normal values of median nerve cross-sectional area between Dutch and Indian subjects
Ellen Walhout-van Burg1, Lokesh Bathala, Leo H Visser
1Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, St. Elisabeth Hospital, P.O. Box 90151, 5000 LC, Tilburg, The Netherlands.
Introduction:
Ultrasound (US) measurement of the median nerve cross-sectional area (CSA) at the wrist is a useful diagnostic test for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). We compared median nerve normal values between samples of Indian and Dutch populations.
Methods:
The median nerve was examined by US at the wrist in 100 healthy volunteers in India and 137 volunteers in The Netherlands using the same protocol.
Results:
Median nerve CSA at the wrist (7.0 ± 1.1 mm(2)) in the Indian cohort was lower in comparison to the Dutch cohort (8.3 ± 1.9 mm(2) ; P < 0.05). This difference was still present after controlling for age, height, and weight (P = 0.001).
Conclusions:
CSA normal values for the median nerve were different between the examined population samples even after correcting for age, height, and weight. This enforces the idea that laboratories around the world should obtain their own normative data.
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