Vibrometry in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Correlations with Electrodiagnositic Parameters and Disease Severity†
Komwudh Konchalard MD*, Areerat Suputtitada MD**, Nattawut Sastravaha MD***
Affiliation : † The abstract of this manuscript was presented on April 16, 2009 as poster presentation at the 4th Asian and Oceanian Congress of Clinical Neurophysiology, Seoul, Korea * Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Queen Savang Vadhana Memorial Hospital, Chonburi, Thailand ** Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand *** Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Queen Savang Vadhana Memorial Hospital, Chonburi, Thailand
Objective : Find correlations among vibratory parameter, electrodiagnostic study, and severity in carpal tunnel syndrome
(CTS).
Material and Method: The hands of 87 patients were grouped according to severity, no CTS, mild, moderate, or severe CTS.
Single-frequency (100 Hz) vibrometry and conventional nerve conduction studies (NCS) were tested. Vibratory parameters
included threshold of digit 1 (VT1), threshold of digit 2 (VT2), threshold difference of digit 1-5 (VTD1-5) and threshold
difference of digit 2-5 (VTD2-5). The correlations were found among the data; vibratory parameters obtained from ‘mild
CTS’ and ‘no CTS’ groups were compared.
Results : All vibratory parameters were inversely correlated with sensory nerve action potential amplitude of median distribution
at low level. VTD2-5 also correlated with median distal sensory latency, median-ulnar latencies difference, and median-radial
latencies difference at low level. The correlations of disease severity and vibratory testing were between 0.422-0.617
(p < 0.001). There were no significant differences between vibratory parameters of ‘mild CTS’ and ‘no CTS’ groups.
Conclusion : Vibratory parameters have low level of correlation with NCS but low to moderate magnitude of correlation with
severity of CTS.
Keywords : Vibrometry, Carpal tunnel syndrome, Nerve conduction study, severity
