Rm. Komanetsky et al., SOMATOSENSORY-EVOKED POTENTIALS FAIL TO DIAGNOSE THORACIC OUTLET SYNDROME, The Journal of hand surgery, 21A(4), 1996, pp. 662-666
Somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) are used in the diagnosis of th
oracic outlet syndrome (TOS), even as an indication for surgery. The p
urpose of this study was to evaluate the use of SEPs in the diagnosis
of TOS. Twenty-one patients (mean age, 37 years) with TOS and 23 contr
ol subjects (mean age, 34 years) were included. Somatosensory evoked p
otentials of median and ulnar nerves were measured bilaterally in pati
ents in both a relaxed and arms-elevated provocative position. A three
-way analysis of variance showed no significant difference between the
interpeak latencies of the TOS and control groups (p = .352). Signifi
cant differences were found in testing positions (p = .0014) and nerve
tested (p = .001) in both groups. Therefore, this study suggests that
SEPs are not helpful in the diagnosis of TOS.