Diagnostic significance of spinal cord conduction velocity in the diagnosis of central lesions in subacute combined degeneration

Abstract

To study explore the roles of spinal cord conduction velocity (SCCV) test in the diagnosis of spinal lesions in patients with subacute combined degeneration (SCD) of spinal cord and examine the values of SCCV in the localization of spinal lesions. A total of 22 SCD patients recruited from 2005 to 2010 at our hospital underwent the SCCV test, the somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) test and MRI in spinal cord respectively. The results of SCCV were compared with those of SEP and MRI. There were 16 males and 6 females with an average age of (56 ± 13) years old (range: 28 - 84). All SCD patients underwent the examinations of SCCV and spinal MRI. And 18 patients received the test of SEP. The abnormalities of SCCV test were 81.8% (18/22) and those of MRI and SEP 13.6% (3/22) and 72.2% (13/15) respectively. The results of SCCV and spinal MRI were both abnormal in 3 patients. Nineteen patients had normal MRI while 18 had abnormal SCCV results. The early electrophysiological abnormalities in spinal cord of SCD patients may be detected objectively by SCCV. They appear earlier than those of pathological and imaging findings. The abnormal rates of SCCV are much higher than those of spinal MRI. The SCCV test can also help to localize the lesions in spinal cord of SCD patients. It may provide an objective diagnostic basis for the lesions of spinal cord of SCD patients at an early stage.