Electrodiagnostic reference data for sensory nerve conduction studies in Saudi Arabia

OBJECTIVES: To estimate reference data for the commonly performed sensory nerve conduction studies (NCS) using a cohort of healthy subjects from Saudi Arabia METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study conducted between May 2015, and June 2019. Sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) amplitude, conduction velocity (CV), and peak latency (PL) were recorded. Associations between these parameters and the covariates (age, sex, height, weight, and body mass index) were tested with Pearson correlations. Reference data were then derived using the lowest percentile that could be reliably determined for SNAP amplitude and CV. Reference data were derived using the highest percentile for PL. RESULTS: Upper and lower limb sensory NCS were performed in 127 and 137 participants, respectively. Age was the only covariate that required adjustment for estimation of SNAP amplitude. Therefore, a prediction model was generated for each nerve. Percentile estimation for PL and CV did not require adjustment for any of the covariates. Hence, it was derived for all the subjects pooled together. CONCLUSION: The sensory NCS reference data were comparable to the data from other countries. However, minimal differences were observed. Further studies are required with a focus on the older age group. Received 2nd August 2019. Accepted 11th December 2019.