Computer simulation of nerve conduction study of a sural nerve to evaluate human peripheral nervous system

Abstract

Nerve conduction study is a test to examine the function of electric signal transmission at the trunk of a peripheral nerve, which is an effective method for the diagnosis of diabetes to quantify the peripheral numbness and to evaluate the stage of this complication. In a routine test, the feature to measure in the electric potential waveform observed in this test is limited to the velocity and the amplitude of the peaks. To make the measurement more precise, the production process of the electric potential waveform should be observed carefully. In this study, nerve conduction study of a sural nerve, which is the most popular for the patients with diabetes, was simulated in a computer using general cable equation and neuroanatomical data. As a result, the approximate electric potential waveform was reproduced, whereas the conduction velocity of the peaks was not completely conformed to the physiological data.