Temperature effects on nerve conduction studies in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome

This study was done to evaluate the effect of rising temperature on nerve conduction parameters in 22 patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). We wanted to find out whether diseased nerves responded to temperature rise in a different manner from normal controls. For this purpose a group of 20 healthy individuals were also tested. With rising temperature motor nerve conduction velocities increased, whereas latencies, amplitudes and duration of the compound muscle action potential decreased in both groups. These changes were not statistically significant between the two groups. Sensory nerve conduction parameters yielded basically similar findings except for a significantly smaller reduction in amplitude of the compound nerve action potential (CNAP) in the CTS group (p < 0.005). We conclude that there is a different response in the sensory CNAP amplitude between normal and CTS groups, but the same nerve conduction correction formulae for temperature can be used in CTS patients as in normal individuals in the event of low skin temperature.