TEMPERATURE EFFECTS ON NERVE-CONDUCTION STUDIES IN PATIENTS WITH CARPAL-TUNNEL SYNDROME

This study was done to evaluate the effect of rising temperature on ne rve conduction parameters in 22 patients with carpal tunnel syndrome ( CTS). We wanted to find out whether diseased nerves responded to tempe rature rise in a different manner from normal controls. For this purpo se a group of 20 healthy individuals were also tested. With rising tem perature motor nerve conduction velocities increased, whereas latencie s, amplitudes and duration of the compound muscle action potential dec reased in both groups. These changes were not statistically significan t between the two groups. Sensory nerve conduction parameters yielded basically similar findings except for a significantly smaller reductio n in amplitude of the compound nerve action potential (CNAP) in the CT S group (p < 0.005). We conclude that there is a different response in the sensory CNAP amplitude between normal and CTS groups, but the sam e nerve conduction correction formulae for temperature can be used in CTS patients as in normal individuals in the event of low skin tempera ture.