Nerve conduction assessments in patients with lumbar radiculopathy – an observational study

Abstract

The main aim of this study was to identify the changes in nerve conduction parameters in cases of lumbar radiculopathy due to lumbar spondylosis and intervertebral disc pathology with no clinical neurologic deficit and to identify the potential of nerve conduction studies in the early diagnosis of these cases. Eleven patients aged between 41 and 78 years (mean age 58 ± 13.1 years; 4 males, 36.36%) met the inclusion criteria and agreed to participate in this study. Nerve conduction studies were performed with Neuro‐MEP‐Micro (Figure 1), a digital system designed to record electrical activity of muscles and nerves at 1 or 2‐channel stimulation, and to measure and analyze their parameters. Conduction velocity was reduced in 29.41% of the examined tibial nerves, and in none of the examined peroneal nerves. The registered amplitudes, for none of the tibial or peroneal nerve, have not been lower than the reference values. Patients with reduced tibial conduction velocity had a Grade 2 nerve root involvement on MRI. Nerve conduction studies should be used to complete the physical and imagistic assessment of patients with lumbar radiculopathy, to detect functional abnormalities not only structural ones provided by the MRI.