Sensory electroneurographic parameters and clinical recovery of sensibility in sutured human nerves

A total of 37 patients with traumatic transection of median or ulnar nerves at the wrist (total 41 nerves) were examined clinically and electrophysiologically 4-59 months after primary or secondary suture or grafting. There was a significant increase of cumulative amplitude with the time after suture, whereas maximum sensory nerve conduction velocity and maximum amplitude of nerve action potentials did not reveal such a correlation. The recovery of two-point discrimination, vibration threshold and sensibility scored according to the scale of Nicholson and Seddon were also not related to the passage of time after operation. Though there were significant correlations between cumulative amplitude and both two-point discrimination and recovery of sensibility, electrophysiological parameters were shown to be inadequate predictors of clinical recovery.