F wave studies after intrathecal methotrexate administration

Electrophysiological examinations were done on 20 patients aged 40-71 years with recently diagnosed high grade non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. General chemotherapy and intrathecal chemotherapy in order to prevent central nervous system (CNS) involvement were begun. On the first day of chemotherapeutic cycle patients received intrathecally methotrexate (ITMTX) and prednisolone. Electrophysiological study was carried out twice in each subject: before ITMTX injection and a day after injection. The study procedure included: a conventional nerve conduction examination (peripheral conduction velocity and compound muscle action potential amplitude), the F wave latency and amplitude measurement and F ratio (F-M-1/2M) calculation for peroneal and tibial nerve bilaterally. Results of the first and the second examinations were statistically compared by t-Student's test. No significant differences between values of estimated parameters were found. The study revealed no recent alterations in proximal, paraspinal motor conduction and motor neuron excitability due to antidromical activation after single ITMTX administration.