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KMID : 0359719920100020173
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Journal of the Korean Neurological Association
1992 Volume.10 No. 2 p.173 ~ p.187
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Effects of Age, Sex and Hight on Nerve Conduction Studies
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선우일남
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Abstract
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Nerve conduction study is invaluable in clinical neurology, especially for assessing peripheral neuropathies. Abnormal nerve conduction studies may result not only from peripheral nerve dysfunction itself, but also from other various mechanical,
and
physiological factors. Recently developed electromechanics and standardization of the techniques minimize the variability of nerve conduction studies but physiological factors such as age, sex, and height are not correctable. There are numerous
controversies concerning the possible effects of various physiological factors on the results of nerve conduction studies, probably, in my personal opinion, due to rather small size of the population obtained in the previous studies. Furthermore,
the
physiological factors themselves are not independent variables to have effect on nerve conduction studies, but they seem to be interrelated.
In this study, the results of nerve conduction study on 639 korean adults over the age of 20 without any suspicion of neurological deficits were analysed to determine the effect of a single independent physiological factor as well as the combined
effects of several physiological factors.
The results are as follows:
1. The nerve conduction velocities varied according to the segments of the tested nerves. The velocities of the upper extremity and proximal segments were faster than those of the lower extremity and distal segments.
2. Comparing my result with thosse from other laboratories, the interlaboratory variability of nerve conduction velocity seems to be technical.
3. Physiological factors such as sex, age, and height seem to affect the results of nerve conduction studies independently. But stepwise multiple regression analysis has to be utilized because there are statistically significant inter-relations
between
sex and height and between age and height.
4. on the stepwise multiple regression analysis of the nerve conduction velocities, the sex differences are recognized over the elbow segment of the ulnar motor nerve, the distal segment of the median sensory nerve, and on the peroneal motor
nerve. The
height appears to be an important variable for the nerve conduction velocities of the lower extremity and only a few segments fo ulnar nerve in the upper extremity, but the effect of age is rather widespread.
5. The parametric statisitical analysis cannot be applied to the amplitude of compound muscle or nerve action potentials because of marked left shift in distribution with wide coefficient of variations Sqareroot transformation of the CMAP and
log
transformation of the CNAP may be useful in normalizing the distribution.
6. The most significant physiological factor affecting the amplitude of nerve conduction studies is age, whereas sex and height play a minor role.
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