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[The tendon test of the tibial nerve in Hansen's disease]
Insights
The Tendon-test revealed significant nerve damage in Hansen's disease patients, with over 76% showing abnormal responses. Further research is recommended to assess tibial nerve involvement in Hansen's disease.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Infectious Diseases
Context:
- Hansen's disease (leprosy) often causes peripheral nerve damage.
- Assessing the extent of nerve injury is crucial for patient management.
Purpose:
- To evaluate the utility of the Tendon-test in detecting nerve dysfunction in Hansen's disease patients.
- To investigate potential tibial nerve involvement alongside ulnar and median nerve damage.
Summary:
- Seventeen Hansen's disease patients underwent the Tendon-test.
- Pathological responses were observed in 76.5% of patients, indicating significant nerve damage.
- 23.5% of patients had normal responses, suggesting less severe or absent nerve compromise.
Impact:
- The Tendon-test appears sensitive to nerve damage in Hansen's disease.
- Results suggest the need for larger studies across diverse populations to confirm tibial nerve involvement.
Abstract:
Seventeen patients, presenting Hansen's disease, were studied by the Tendon-test. Nine presented pathological answers and 4 did not answer at all, probably due to serious damage. So the amount of pathological answers reached to 76.5% (13 patients). On the other hand, the answer of two patients was considered within the limits and they were classified with the normal answering patients that reached to 23.5% (4 patients). In order to find out if the tibial nerves are also injured simultaneously wit the ulnar and the median ones, it is advisable to employ this method in a larger number of patients and in a different social-geographical environment.