Effect of Surface Electrode Type on Sensory and Motor Nerve Conduction Study Findings: A Controlled Electrophysiological Study

Yıl 2025, Cilt: 15 Sayı: 5, 226 - 231, 30.09.2025

İsmail Bayar , Elife Yarbaşar , Halit Fidancı , Halil Can Alaydın , Ahmet Yusuf Ertürk , Mehmet Yıldız

https://doi.org/10.16899/jcm.1716267

Öz

Aim:
Individual characteristics, such as age, or technical factors, such as recording electrode characteristics, may influence nerve conduction study findings. This study aimed to investigate the effects of different surface electrode types on sensory and motor NCS findings and to evaluate their clinical interchangeability and impact on reference values.
Materials and Methods:
This prospective study included 30 healthy volunteers. Sensory and motor NCSs of the median and ulnar nerves were performed using four surface electrode types: disposable pre-gelled adhesive electrodes (DPAE), cut-in-half DPAE (CDPAE), silver cup electrodes (SCE), and felt bar electrodes (FBE). Compound muscle action potential (CMAP) and Compound nerve action potential (CNAP) parameters—including latency, amplitude, duration, and negative area—were recorded. Sensory nerve conduction velocities (NCVs) were calculated based on onset and peak latencies.
Results:
CMAP latency, amplitude, duration, and negative area, as well as CNAP amplitude and sensory NCV, varied significantly. In contrast, motor NCVs and F-wave latencies did not differ. CDPAE and SCE produced comparable results across most parameters. Reference values differed depending on the electrode type.
Conclusion:
Surface electrode type has a significant impact on both motor and sensory NCS parameters. CDPAE and SCE appear to be clinically interchangeable. Given the variability in reference values, laboratories should generate electrode-specific normative data to ensure accurate interpretation and diagnosis in clinical neurophysiology.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Electrodes , Electrodiagnostic , Nerve Conduction Studies

Etik Beyan

Ethics Committee Approval: The study was carried out with the permission of the University of Health Sciences Adana City Training and Research Hospital Ethics Committee (Date: 2025, Decision No: 12/473). Informed Consent: Written informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to enrollment in the study. Conflict of Interest Statement: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. Financial Disclosure: The authors declared that this study has received no financial support. Author Contributions: All authors confirm that they participated in the conception, design, data collection, analysis, and writing of the manuscript, and that they have reviewed and approved the final version of the paper.

Yüzeyel Elektrot Tipinin Duyusal ve Motor Sinir İletim Çalışması Bulguları Üzerindeki Etkisi: Kontrollü Elektrofizyolojik Bir Çalışma

Öz

Amaç:
Yaş gibi bireysel özellikler veya kayıt elektrodu özellikleri gibi teknik faktörler, sinir iletim çalışması (SİÇ) bulgularını etkileyebilir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, farklı yüzeyel elektrot tiplerinin duyusal ve motor SİÇ bulguları üzerindeki etkilerini araştırmak ve klinik olarak birbirlerinin yerine kullanılabilirliklerini ve referans değerler üzerindeki etkilerini değerlendirmektir.
Gereç ve Yöntem:
Bu prospektif çalışmaya 30 sağlıklı gönüllü dahil edildi. Median ve ulnar sinirlerin duyusal ve motor SİÇ’leri dört farklı yüzeyel elektrot tipi kullanılarak yapıldı: tek kullanımlık, önceden jelle kaplı yapışkan elektrotlar (TYE), ikiye kesilmiş TYE (KTYE), gümüş kap elektrotlar (KE) ve keçe bar elektrotlar (KBE). Bileşik kas aksiyon potansiyeli (BKAP) ve bileşik sinir aksiyon potansiyeli (BSAP) parametreleri —latans, amplitüd, süre ve negatif alan dahil olmak üzere— kaydedildi. Duyusal sinir iletim hızları (SİH), başlangıç ve pik latanslara göre hesaplandı.
Bulgular:
BKAP latansı, amplitüdü, süresi ve negatif alanı ile BSAP amplitüdü ve duyusal SİH anlamlı şekilde farklılık gösterdi. Buna karşın, motor SİH’ler ve F-dalga latansları farklılık göstermedi. KTYE ve KE, çoğu parametrede benzer sonuçlar verdi. Elektrot tipine göre referans değerler değişiklik gösterdi.
Sonuç:
Yüzeyel elektrot tipi hem motor hem de duyusal SİÇ parametreleri üzerinde önemli bir etkiye sahiptir. KTYE ve KE klinik olarak birbirlerinin yerine kullanılabilir görünmektedir. Referans değerlerdeki değişkenlik göz önüne alındığında, laboratuvarlar doğru yorum ve tanı için elektrota özgü normatif veriler oluşturmalıdır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Elektrotlar , Elektrodiagnostik , Sinir İletim Çalışmaları

Kaynakça

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