Nerve size correlates with clinical severity in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease 1A

Nerve cross-sectional area (CSA) is larger than normal in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease 1A (CMT1A), although to a variable extent. We explored whether CSA is correlated with CMT clinical severity measured with neuropathy score version 2 (CMTNS2) and its examination subscore (CMTES2) in CMT1A.

We assessed 56 patients with CMT1A (42 families). They underwent nerve conduction study (NCS) and nerve high-resolution ultrasound (HRUS) of the left median, ulnar, and fibular nerves.

Univariate analysis showed NCS and HRUS variables to be significantly correlated with CMTNS2 and CMTES2 and with each other. Multivariate analysis showed that ulnar motor nerve conduction velocity (β: -0.19) and fibular compound muscle action potential amplitude (-1.50) significantly influenced CMTNS2 and that median forearm CSA significantly influenced CMTNS2 (β: 5.29) and CMTES2 (4.28).

Nerve size is significantly associated with clinical scores in CMT1A, which suggests that it might represent a potential biomarker of CMT damage and progression.