Ultrasonographic and electrophysiologic evaluation of median and ulnar nerves in chronic stroke patients with upper extremity spasticity

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the upper extremity nerves of stroke patients morphologically and electrophysiologically and to determine whether there is a relationship between clinical evaluations, ultrasonographic measurements, and electrodiagnostic findings.Methods: This cross-sectional study included 30 chronic stroke patients. After recording demographical data, clinical, ultrasonographic, and electrophysiological evaluations were performed. Clinical evaluations included Brunnstrom Recovery Stages (BRS), Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), Motricity index (MI), Functional Independence Measurement (FIM), and Functional Ambulation Scale (FAS). For ultrasonographic measurements, median and ulnar nerves were scanned. Median and ulnar nerve conduction studies were performed bilaterally.Results: Mean ages of the patients were 62.2 ± 13.0 years (range 24–84 years; 22 males, 8 females). There was no significant difference in median/ulnar nerve ultrasonographic measurements between paretic and non-paretic sides (p > .05), whereas median nerve motor conduction velocity was significantly slower and median nerve F-wave latency was prolonged on the paretic side (p < .05). The median and ulnar nerve compound motor action potential (CMAP) amplitudes of paretic sides were positively correlated with lower extremity BRS and FAS scores. Median CMAP amplitudes were also positively correlated with FIM scores and ulnar CMAP amplitudes were positively correlated with motricity scores. Moreover, on the paretic side, there were positive correlations of median SNAP amplitudes with FIM and FAS scores (p < .05).Conclusions: Our results showed electrophysiological changes in peripheral nerves on the paretic upper extremities, however, no morphological change was determined. Further studies with larger number of patients and longer follow-up periods are needed to clarify the effect of stroke and spasticity on the peripheral nervous system.