Outcomes of Cubital Tunnel Surgery among Patients with Absent Sensory Nerve Conduction

Neurosurgery ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 891-896 ◽  
Author(s):  
Assad Taha ◽  
Marcelo Galarza ◽  
Mario Zuccarello ◽  
Jamal Taha
Keyword(s):  
Nerve Conduction ◽  
Motor Nerve ◽  
Sensory Nerve ◽  
Cubital Tunnel Syndrome ◽  
Cubital Tunnel ◽  
Symptom Duration ◽  
Motor Nerve Conduction ◽  
Tunnel Syndrome ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Subcutaneous Transposition

Abstract OBJECTIVE To report the outcomes of cubital tunnel surgery for patients with absent ulnar sensory nerve conduction. METHODS The charts of 34 patients who exhibited clinical symptoms of ulnar nerve entrapment at the elbow and who had electromyography-confirmed prolonged motor nerve conduction across the cubital tunnel in association with absent sensory nerve conduction were reviewed. The mean age was 63 years, and the mean symptom duration was 17 months. Four patients had bilateral symptoms. Surgery was performed for 38 limbs, i.e., neurolysis for 21 limbs and subcutaneous transposition for 17 limbs. Fifteen limbs demonstrated associated ulnar nerve-related motor weakness. The mean postoperative follow-up period was 4 years (range, 3 mo to 11 yr). RESULTS Sensory symptoms (i.e., pain, paresthesia, and two-point discrimination) improved in 20 limbs (53%), and muscle strength improved in 2 limbs (13%). Improvements in sensory symptoms were not related to patient age, symptom duration, cause, severity of prolonged motor nerve conduction, select psychological factors, associated medical diseases, associated cervical pathological conditions, or type of surgery. Improvements in sensory symptoms were significantly decreased among patients who had experienced cervical disease for more than 1 year and patients with bilateral symptoms. CONCLUSION Patients with cubital tunnel syndrome who have absent sensory nerve conduction seem to experience less improvement of sensory symptoms after surgery, compared with all patients with cubital tunnel syndrome described in the literature. Bilateral symptoms and delayed surgery secondary to associated cervical spine disease seem to be significant negative factors for postoperative improvement of sensory symptoms. Sensory symptoms improved similarly among patients who underwent neurolysis or subcutaneous transposition

scholarly journals Ulnar Nerve Enlargement at the Medial Epicondyle Negatively Correlates With Nerve Conduction Velocity in Cubital Tunnel Syndrome

Hand ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-169
Author(s):  
T. David Luo ◽  
Amy P. Trammell ◽  
Luke P. Hedrick ◽  
Ethan R. Wiesler ◽  
Francis O. Walker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ulnar Nerve ◽  
Nerve Conduction ◽  
Nerve Conduction Velocity ◽  
Motor Nerve ◽  
Cubital Tunnel Syndrome ◽  
Medial Epicondyle ◽  
Cubital Tunnel ◽  
Motor Nerve Conduction ◽  
Nerve Enlargement ◽  
Tunnel Syndrome

Background: In cubital tunnel syndrome (CuTS), chronic compression often occurs at the origin of the flexor carpi ulnaris at the medial epicondyle. Motor nerve conduction velocity (NCV) across the elbow is assessed preoperatively to corroborate the clinical impression of CuTS. The purpose of this study was to correlate preoperative NCV to the direct measurements of ulnar nerve size about the elbow at the time of surgery in patients with clinical and/or electrodiagnostic evidence of CuTS. Methods: Data from 51 consecutive patients who underwent cubital tunnel release over a 2-year period were reviewed. Intraoperative measurements of the decompressed nerve were taken at 3 locations: at 4 cm proximal to the medial epicondyle, at the medial epicondyle, and at the distal aspect of Osborne fascia at the flexor aponeurotic origin. Correlation analysis was performed comparing nerve size measurements to slowing of ulnar motor nerve conduction velocities (NCV) below the normal threshold of 49 m/s across the elbow. Results: Enlargement of the ulnar nerve at the medial epicondyle and nerve compression at the flexor aponeurotic origin was a consistent finding. The mean calculated cross-sectional area of the ulnar nerve was 0.21 cm2 above the medial epicondyle, 0.30 cm2 at the medial epicondyle, and 0.20 cm2 at the flexor aponeurotic origin ( P < .001). There was an inverse correlation between change in nerve diameter and NCV slowing ( r = −0.529, P < .001). Conclusions: For patients with significantly reduced preoperative NCV and clinical findings of advanced ulnar neuropathy, surgeons can expect nerve enlargement, all of which may affect their surgical decision-making.

scholarly journals Surgical treatment for severe cubital tunnel syndrome with absent sensory nerve conduction

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 519
Author(s):  
Zhen Dong ◽  
Jin-Song Tong ◽  
Bin Xu ◽  
Cheng-Gang Zhang ◽  
Yu-Dong Gu
Keyword(s):  
Surgical Treatment ◽  
Nerve Conduction ◽  
Sensory Nerve ◽  
Cubital Tunnel Syndrome ◽  
Cubital Tunnel ◽  
Tunnel Syndrome

Q&A: Rating Multiple Pelvic Fractures

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 11-11
Author(s):  
James B. Talmage
Keyword(s):  
Nerve Conduction ◽  
Motor Nerve ◽  
Cubital Tunnel Syndrome ◽  
Conduction Delay ◽  
Motor Nerve Conduction ◽  
Sixth Edition ◽  
Axon Loss ◽  
Tunnel Syndrome ◽  
Current Article ◽  
Physical Findings

Abstract Part 1 of this series examined many of the rules in the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (AMA Guides), Sixth Edition, regarding rating nerve entrapment or focal neuropathies; the current article, part 2, examines how to read and match the findings in an electrodiagnostic report to the criteria in Appendix 15-B, Electrodiagnostic Evaluation of Entrapment, as explained in Section 15.4f, and determine the severity of the test findings as listed in Table 15-23. Physicians who perform nerve conduction studies often use their own definitions of mild, moderate, and severe; these definitions are not standardized and frequently differ from the electrophysiologic definitions used in the AMA Guides, Sixth Edition. When examiners rate focal entrapment neuropathy, they must match data from the electrodiagnostic report to the criteria in Appendix 15-B, and a figure shows a hypothetical motor nerve conduction report for a case that shows both mild neuropathy (conduction delay) of the median nerve at the wrist (carpal tunnel syndrome) and severe neuropathy (axon loss) of the ulnar nerve at the elbow (cubital tunnel syndrome). If both fibrillations and positive waves are seen in the same muscle, the reviewer can be more confident that other electromyographic potentials were not misinterpreted as fibrillations. Prepared with the results of electrodiagnostic studies, the evaluator can work through the steps of history, physical findings, and functional scale to determine the final upper limb impairment according to the AMA Guides.

Comparison of Simple Decompression and Anterior Subcutaneous Transposition of the Ulnar Nerve for the Treatment of Cubital Tunnel Syndrome

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 451-460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taskin Altay ◽  
Kamil Yamak ◽  
Şemmi Koyuncu ◽  
Cemil Kayali ◽  
Serkan Sözkesen
Keyword(s):  
Ulnar Nerve ◽  
Cubital Tunnel Syndrome ◽  
Cubital Tunnel ◽  
Nerve Paralysis ◽  
Tunnel Syndrome ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Group 2 ◽  
Subcutaneous Transposition ◽  
Simple Decompression ◽  
Group 1

Background. In this study, we aim to evaluate clinical and functional results in patients with cubital tunnel syndrome who were treated with subcutaneous anterior transposition vs simple decompression of the ulnar nerve. Material and methods. Fifty-five patients were separated into two groups according to surgical technique. Group 1 comprised 35 patients (23 males, 12 females; mean age, 42.1 years; range, 28–56 years) who underwent anterior subcutaneous transposition of the ulnar nerve, whereas Group 2 included 20 patients (11 males, 9 females; mean age, 47.4 years; range, 25–59 years) who underwent simple decompression of the ulnar nerve. Results. The mean modified Bishop scores were 7.26 and 7.85 in Group 1 and Group 2, respectively (P< .05). The mean Q-DASH scores were 16.94 in Group 1 and 15.80 in Group 2 (P> .05). Postoperatively, paraesthesia regressed in 17 (85.7%) and 30 (85%) patients in Group 1 and Group 2, respectively (P> .05). Both groups demonstrated improvement in ulnar nerve function in comparison with the preoperative period, and ulnar nerve paralysis was not seen in any of our patients. A postsurgical incision scar developed in six (17.1%) and three patients (15%) in Group 1 and Group 2, respectively. Conclusion. Both simple decompression and anterior subcutaneous transposition of the ulnar nerve are effective and safe for the treatment of cubital tunnel syndrome, so we would favour simple decompression as it is a less extensive procedure.

ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN ULNAR NERVE STRAIN AND ACCOMPANYING CONDITIONS IN PATIENTS WITH CUBITAL TUNNEL SYNDROME

Hand Surgery ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (03) ◽  
pp. 329-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kensuke Ochi ◽  
Yukio Horiuchi ◽  
Toshiyasu Nakamura ◽  
Kazuki Sato ◽  
Kozo Morita ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Severity ◽  
Ulnar Nerve ◽  
Cubital Tunnel Syndrome ◽  
Cubital Tunnel ◽  
Tunnel Syndrome ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Simple Decompression

Pathophysiology of cubital tunnel syndrome (CubTS) is still controversial. Ulnar nerve strain at the elbow was measured intraoperatively in 13 patients with CubTS before simple decompression. The patients were divided into three groups according to their accompanying conditions: compression/adhesion, idiopathic, and relaxation groups. The mean ulnar nerve strain was 43.5 ± 30.0%, 25.5 ± 14.8%, and 9.0 ± 5.0% in the compression/adhesion, idiopathic, and relaxation groups respectively. The mean ulnar nerve strains in patients with McGowan's classification grades I, II, and III were 18.0 ± 4.2%, 27.1 ± 22.7%, and 33.7 ± 24.7%, respectively. The Jonckheere-Terpstra test showed that there were significant reductions in the ulnar nerve strain among the first three groups, but not in the three groups according to McGowan's classification. Our results suggest that the pathophysiology, not disease severity, of CubTS may be explained at least in part by the presence of ulnar nerve strain.

scholarly journals Carpal tunnel syndrome: long-term nerve conduction studies in 261 hands

2009 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dante Guilherme Velasco Hardoim ◽  
Guilherme Bueno de Oliveira ◽  
João Aris Kouyoumdjian
Keyword(s):  
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome ◽  
Carpal Tunnel ◽  
Nerve Conduction ◽  
Sensory Nerve ◽  
Nerve Conduction Studies ◽  
Sensory Nerve Action ◽  
Tunnel Syndrome ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Compound Action

OBJECTIVE: To compare a long-term carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) on nerve conduction studies (NCS) in hands treated non-surgically. METHOD: We retrospectively selected 261 symptomatic CTS hands (166 patients), all of them confirmed by NCS. In all cases, at least 2 NCS were performed in an interval greater than 12 months. Cases with associated polyneuropathy were excluded. NCS parameters for CTS electrodiagnosis included a sensory conduction velocity (SCV) <46.6 m/s (wrist to index finger, 14 cm) and distal motor latency (DML) >4.25 ms (wrist to APB, 8 cm). RESULTS: 92.8% were women; mean age was 49 years (20-76); the mean interval between NCS was 47 months (12-150). In the first exam, the median sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) and the compound action muscular potential were absent in 9.8% and 1.9%, respectively. In the second/last exam, SCV worsened in 54.2%, remained unchanged in 11.6% and improved in 34.2%. SNAP amplitude worsened in 57.7%, remained unchanged in 13.1% and improved in 29.2%. DML worsened in 52.9%, remained unchanged in 7.6% and improved in 39.5%. Overall, NCS parameters worsened in 54.9%, improved in 34.3% and remained unchanged in 10.8%. CONCLUSION: Long-term changing in NCS of CTS hands apparently were not related to clinical symptomatology and could lead to some difficulty in clinical correlation and prognosis. Aging, male gender and absent SNAP were more related to NCS worsening, regardless the mean interval time between the NCS.

Very Early Neurophysiological Study in Guillain-Barre Syndrome

2018 ◽  
Vol 80 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 100-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiaoting Jin ◽  
Fangfang Hu ◽  
Xing Qin ◽  
Xuan Liu ◽  
Min Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nerve Conduction ◽  
Nerve Conduction Velocity ◽  
Tibial Nerve ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Motor Nerve ◽  
Sensory Nerve ◽  
Sensory Nerves ◽  
Motor Nerve Conduction ◽  
Abnormal Rate ◽  
Motor Nerves

Purpose: The diagnosis of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) in the very early stage may be challenging. Our aim was to report the neurophysiological abnormalities in GBS within 4 days of clinical onset. We expected that GBS will be diagnosed by the assistance of neurophysiological study in the very early stage. Methods: We prospectively recruited patients with a diagnosis of GBS discharged from First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University and Xi Jing Hospital. Patients were classified into 3 groups according to the onset of symptoms to electromyography examination interval (OEI). The neurophysiological findings were carried out using standard procedures. All patients were examined by the same experienced neurophysiologist. Results: There were not significant group differences in abnormal rate, distal motor latency (DML), motor nerve conduction velocity (MNCV), F response (FR), compound muscle action potential (CMAP), conduction block (CB), sensory nerve action potential (SNAP), and sensory nerve conduction velocity among OEI ≤4 days, 4< OEI ≤10 days, and OEI > 10 days groups. Motor nerves were more affected than sensory nerves in neurophysiological presentation in very early stage patients. The difference of motor nerves and sensory nerves was statistically significant in lower limbs, but was not in upper limbs. In motor nerve conduction studies, the abnormal rate of DML, MNCV, FR, CB was more common seen in ulnar and peroneal nerve than median and tibial nerve, the abnormal rate of CMAP was the same in ulnar, median, peroneal and tibial nerve. In sensory nerve conduction studies, the abnormal rate of ulnar nerve and median nerve was higher than the superficial peroneal nerve and sural nerve. The OEI was not correlated with the SNAP decrease rate of median (r = 0.10, p = 0.23) and ulnar (r = 0.26, p = 0.06) but was statistically correlated with sural SNAP decrease rate (r = 0.29, p = 0.04). The sural-sparing pattern phenomenon was the most commonly discovered phenomenon in very early stage patients (OEI ≤4 days), followed by patients with 4< OEI ≤10 days, ultimately found in patients with OEI > 10 days. Conclusions: We suggest performing neurophysiological examination as soon as possible for suspected GBS patients, particularly focusing on multi-spots inspection of ulnar and peroneal nerves, and paying close attention to sural-sparing patterns.

scholarly journals Ulnar Nerve Neuropathy Secondary to “Snapping Triceps Syndrome”

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 2513826X1771645
Author(s):  
Stahs Pripotnev ◽  
Colin White
Keyword(s):  
Ulnar Nerve ◽  
Cubital Tunnel Syndrome ◽  
Cubital Tunnel ◽  
Dominant Male ◽  
Ulnar Nerve Compression ◽  
Compression Neuropathy ◽  
History Of ◽  
Tunnel Syndrome ◽  
Subcutaneous Transposition ◽  
Abnormal Anatomy

Cubital tunnel syndrome is the second most common compression neuropathy of the upper extremity and the most common point of compression for the ulnar nerve. We present a case of ulnar nerve compression neuropathy at the elbow secondary to an abnormal subluxating medial head of triceps. A 37-year-old right hand dominant male presented with a history of bilateral medial elbow pain and ulnar distribution hand numbness. During his left cubital tunnel release surgery, the abnormal anatomy was noted. Initial subfascial anterior transposition was insufficient and had to be revised to a subcutaneous transposition intraoperatively. Failure to recognize the contribution of triceps abnormalities can lead to incomplete resolution following surgery. Surgeons should be wary of uncommon findings and adjust their approach appropriately.

scholarly journals When is needle examination of thenar muscle necessary in the evaluation of mild and moderate carpal tunnel syndrome?

2021 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 518-525
Author(s):  
Zuhal Özişler ◽  
Müfit Akyüz
Keyword(s):  
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome ◽  
Spontaneous Activity ◽  
Carpal Tunnel ◽  
Nerve Conduction ◽  
Sensory Nerve ◽  
Symptom Duration ◽  
Thenar Muscle ◽  
Distal Motor Latency ◽  
Motor Latency ◽  
Tunnel Syndrome

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the predictors of standard nerve conduction study (NCS) parameters in determining the presence of axonal loss by means of spontaneous activity in patients with mild and moderate carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Patients and methods: Between May 2015 and April 2018, a total of 118 patients (11 males, 107 females; mean age: 52.3±10.6 years; range, 27 to 79 years) who underwent electrophysiological studies and were diagnosed with CTS were included. Demographic data of the patients including age, sex, and symptom duration were recorded. Electrodiagnostic studies were performed in all patients. All the needle electromyography (EMG) findings were recorded, but only the presence or absence of spontaneous EMG activities was used as the indicator of axonal injury. Results: In 37 (31.4%) of the patients, spontaneous activity was detected at the thenar muscle needle EMG. No spontaneous activity was observed in any of 43 (36.4%) patients with normal distal motor latency (DML). There were significant differences in DMLs, compound muscle action potential (CMAP) amplitudes, sensory nerve action potentials amplitudes, and sensory nerve conduction velocities between the groups with and without spontaneous activity (p<0.05). The multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that DML was a significant independent risk variable in determining presence of spontaneous activity. The most optimal cut-off value for median DML was calculated as 4.9 ms. If the median DML was >4.9 ms, the relative risk of finding spontaneous activity on thenar muscle needle EMG was 13.5 (95% CI: 3.6-51.2). Conclusion: Distal motor latency is the main parameter for predicting the presence of spontaneous activity in mild and moderate CTS patients with normal CMAP. Performing needle EMG of the thenar muscle in CTS patients with a DML of >4.9 ms may be beneficial to detect axonal degeneration in early stages.

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