Two novel methods to assess ulnar nerve conduction across the elbow

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Electrodiagnostic Medicine

Background:

• Ulnar neuropathy of the elbow (UNE) diagnosis relies on nerve conduction studies (NCS).
• Standard NCS techniques for evaluating ulnar nerve function at the elbow have limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine normal values and reliability of two novel methods for measuring across elbow ulnar nerve conduction velocity.
• To provide alternative electrodiagnostic techniques for UNE assessment.

Main Methods:

• 104 healthy subjects underwent bilateral ulnar nerve conduction studies.
• Technique 1 (W-BE-AE) indirectly measured mixed nerve conduction velocity (NCV) across the elbow.
• Technique 2 (BE-AE) directly measured conduction time across the elbow.

Main Results:

• Mean NCV (Technique 1) was 59.68m/s (±8.91m/s).
• Mean peak latency (Technique 2) was 2.03ms (±0.24ms).
• Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for reliability ranged from 0.454 to 0.814, indicating poor to good reliability depending on the technique and rater.

Conclusions:

• Two novel techniques offer alternative methods for assessing ulnar nerve conduction across the elbow.
• Normal values and reliability data were established for these new techniques.
• The choice of technique influences the reliability of UNE diagnosis.