
Influence of height on the nerve
conduction study parameters of
the peripheral nerves
260-263
Correspondence
Dr. Dilip Thakur, Assistant Professor, Dept of Physiology, B. P. Koirala
Institute of Health Sciences, Ghopa Camp, Dharan.
Email: dilip7bp@gmail.com, Phone: 025-525555-Ext 2471 (Off);
3060 (Res); Cell- 9842037531
BACKGROUND: Nerve conduction studies (NCS) which assess peripheral nerve functions and their parameters, are known to vary with anthropometric measurements.
OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of height on the NCS variables in the peripheral nerves of the limbs.
SETTINGS AND DESIGNS: Department of Physiology, normative.
METHODS AND MATERIAL: This study was done on 34 (age: 31.24±11.57 years) consenting, healthy adults of either sex. The anthropometric factors (height, weight and BMI); the compound muscle action potential (CMAP) and the sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) were recorded by using standard techniques.
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The correlation of height with the NCS variables was analyzed by using the Pearson’s correlation test.
RESULTS: After the adjustment of other anthropometric factors, height (158.5±10.21cm) showed a positive correlation with the CMAP duration of all the motor nerves: right median (r=0.734, p<0.001), left median (r=0.422, p<0.05), right ulnar (r=0.561, p<0.01), left ulnar (r=0.661, p<0.001), right tibial (r=0.372, p<0.05) Thakur D, Jha S, Pandey NK, Jha CB, Bajaj BK, Paudel BH and the left tibial (r=0.353, p<0.05). The CMAP amplitudes and the latencies were also positively correlated, with the exception of the ulnar and the right radial nerves. A positive correlation with the F- wave latencies were seen in all the nerves, except in the left common peroneal nerve. However, a negative correlation was seen with the SNAP amplitude of the right sural nerve (r= -0.442, p<0.01) and the conduction velocity of the ulnar motor nerves: right ulnar (r= -0.536, p<0.01) and left ulnar (r= -0.430, p<0.05). The SNAP duration and the conduction velocity did not show any correlation with height.
CONCLUSION: Height showed a significant correlation with the NCS parameters of the motor and few sensory nerves. Diagnostic conclusions which are made from the nerve conduction data without making corrections for the height may be invalid in patients who are taller and shorter than the average individuals. This must be also be considered while developing standard/reference normative data for different nerves.