Distal sensory nerve conduction of the superficial peroneal nerve: New method and its clinical application

The superficial peroneal nerve subserves sensation on the entire surface of the dorsum of the foot, except in small areas. All previously reported tec hniques for evaluating nerve conduction along this nerve tested a proximal portion of the nerve. We report a new method for evaluating sensory nerve c onduction of the four branches of the distal superficial peroneal nerve, Tw o branches to the second and third toes of the medial dorsal cutaneous nerv e and two branches to the fourth and fifth toes of the intermediate dorsal cutaneous nerve were studied orthodromically and antidromically in 37 feet of 21 normal volunteers using surface stimulating and recording electrodes and with a distance of 10 cm between the stimulating and recording electrod es. Maximum nerve conduction velocities (NCV) ranged from 41.8 to 46.9 mis, and mean response amplitude ranged from 6.5 to 7.6 muV with the orthodromi c technique. Values for NCV were almost identical when elicited by antidrom ic and orthodromic techniques, but response amplitudes were higher with the antidromic technique. Mean amplitudes of the distal superficial peroneal n erve were about 50% of the proximal superficial peroneal, and the conductio n velocity in the distal superficial peroneal was slower than that in the p roximal superficial peroneal nerve, by 8-14 mis. In seven cases, distal sup erficial peroneal neuropathy was confirmed with this technique: two with pr oper digital neuropathy, two with medial dorsal cutaneous neuropathy, and t hree with intermediate dorsal cutaneous neuropathy, (C) 2001 John Wiley & S ons, Inc.