Reference Values of Sensory and Motor Nerve Conduction for Patients of a Fourth Level Hospital in Bogotá, Colombia

Abstract

Objective: To establish normal values of motor and sensory nerve conductions and late responses for the electrodiagnostic laboratory of the hospital universitario San Ignacio. Materials and Methods: Sensory and motor nerve conduction studies were performed on 77 healthy volunteers between 18 and 65 years old, for a total of 154 analyzes, using a standardized technique for measurement. Results: Motor nerve conduction. For the median nerve the latency ≤4.2ms, amplitude ≥3.1mV and conduction velocity ≥50.8m/s. In the ulnar nerve the latency ≤3.6ms, amplitude ≥4.6mV and conduction velocity ≥49m/s. Tibial nerve latency ≤4.4ms, amplitude ≥5mV and conduction velocity ≥41m/s. Peroneal nerve latency ≤4.8ms, amplitude ≥1.6mV and conduction velocity ≥42m/s. Sensory nerve conduction. For the median nerve the latency ≤2.8ms and conduction velocity ≥45m/s. In the ulnar nerve the latency ≤2.7ms and conduction velocity ≥46m/s. Sural nerve latency ≤2.2ms and conduction velocity ≥41m/s. A Shapiro Wilk test was performed, finding that the amplitude parameters for sensory nerve conductions did not follow a normal distribution, so percentile analysis was performed. Only sex showed a statistically significant difference for the parameters of tibial nerve amplitude (p = 0.0099) being greater in women, and latency of the peroneal nerve (p = 0.0091) being greater in men. Conclusion: Normal parameters were established for motor and sensory nerve conductions and late responses for the electrodiagnostic laboratory of the hospital universitario San Ignacio, which mostly correlate with the current reference data, with certain differences that could be related with height and sex, however, additional studies are required to establish this difference.