Method of studying conduction velocity in sensory fibers of the peripheral nerves and spinal cord. the averaging technic
Kopéc, J.
Neurologia i Neurochirurgia Polska 14(1): 53-59
1980
ISSN/ISBN: 0028-3843 PMID: 6246465 Document Number: 164377
The author describes a method of measuring conduction velocity in sensory fibres based on averaged evoked potentials. In the method potentials are recorded with surface electrodes over the nerves of the upper extremity at three sites: wrist, elbow and branchial plexus. The further route of the central neuron was represented by two responses from the cervical spinal cord at the C2 level, and first component N1 of the cortical response. The method makes possible distinguishing of damage to the peripheral part from that to the central part of the sensory system. Checking of the method in 15 healthy subjects made possible determination of conduction velocity which was stable for all measuring points in the peripheral nerve and spinal cord and was 75 m/sec, while at the distance from the spinal cord to the cortex it was only 58 m/sec. The author discusses in detail the technique of recording and reading of evoked potentials, whose amplitudes may be below 0.5 microV and latency is read with an accuracy of 0.1 msec.