26. Effect of bipolar electrostimulation on focal neuropathy of ulnar nerve in elbow area – Pilot study

Abstract

The focal neuropathy in the elbow area is the second most common mononeuropathy. The goal of our pilot study was to analyze the effectiveness of the bipolar electrostimulation of the ulnar nerve lesion in the elbow, using clinical examination, electromyography, questionnaires, motor tests, and Hoorweg-Weiss I/t curves. Study included 10 patients, 49 ± 14.2 years old, with clinical noninjury, mild paresis of ulnar nerve. Nerve conduction studies revealed mild slowing of MCV, SCV and focal nerve lesion in ulnar nerve sulcus with subacute axonal neuropathy in needle EMG in m.IDI and FCU. Participants received bipolar electrostimulation (oblique pulse at subtreshold motor level, pulse duration 500 ms) twice a week for six weeks. A paired t-test was used to compare the input and output EMG values, questionnaires (DASH, UNEQ), and motor tests (p ± 3.5 mV vs. 9.9 ± 5 mV, ∗ 0.037), increase in amplitude of SNAP from V.finger (13.5 ± 8.2 μ V vs. 17,1 ± 9 μ V, ∗ 0.039). No significant differences were found in amplitude of CMAP recorded from ADM, no changes were found in MCV across the elbow from ADM (38.6 ± 10.8 m/s vs. 38.7 ± 9.1 m/s, ∗ 0.94) and IDI (39.6 ± 13.0 m/s vs. 39.1 ± 9.9 m/s, ∗ 0.92). I/t curves revealed a nonsignificant increase in accomodative quotient (2.7 ± 0.4 vs. 3.3 ± 0.7 ∗ 0.12). While the present study shows nonsignificant impact of the bipolar electrostimulation on focal neuropaty in functional test, the subjective improvement and increase in amplitude of CMAP from IDI and SNAP from V. finger are indicative of its positive effect. Project MUNI/A/0896/2009.