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Updated: Mar 22, 2026

Utility of Dissociated Intrinsic Hand Muscle Atrophy in the Diagnosis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Published on: March 4, 2014
Involvement of distal sensory nerves in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Baris Isak1, Hatice Tankisi1, Birger Johnsen1
1Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Nørrebrogade 44, Building 10, DK-8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.
Introduction:
The diagnostic criteria for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) require normal sensory nerve conduction studies (NCS) or abnormal NCS only in the presence of neuropathy of identified etiology. In this study, we investigated the presence and extent of involvement of Aß sensory fibers in ALS.
Methods:
Distal sensory NCS [antidromic dorsal sural (DS) and orthodromic medial plantar (MP)] and conventional sensory NCS (unilateral median sensory and bilateral sural nerves) were performed in 16 definite and 2 probable ALS patients (based on Awaji criteria) and 31 controls.
Results:
Abnormal conventional sensory NCS were found in 8 (44.4%) ALS patients and 1 (3.2%) control subject (P = 0.002), whereas abnormal distal sensory NCS were found in 12 (66.7%) ALS patients and 3 (9.6%) controls (P < 0.0001).
Conclusion:
Distal sensory NCS were more often abnormal than conventional sensory NCS in ALS. Muscle Nerve 54: 1086-1092, 2016.
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