COMPARISON OF FOUR DIFFERENT NERVE CONDUCTION TECHNIQUES OF THE SUPERFICIAL FIBULAR SENSORY NERVE

Introduction: There are many different nerve conduction study (NCS) techniques to study the superficial fibular sensory nerve (SFSN). We present reference distal latency values and comparative data regarding 4 different NCS for the SFSN. Methods: Four different NCS techniques, Spartan technique, Izzo techniques (medial and intermediate dorsal cutaneous branches), and Daube technique, were performed on (114) healthy volunteers. A total of 108 subjects with 164 legs were included. Results: The mean latency of the Spartan technique was longest (3.9 +/- 0.3 ms) while the Daube technique was the shortest (3.6 +/- 0.7 ms). The mean amplitude of the Daube technique displayed the highest (15.2 +/- 8.2 mu V) with the Spartan technique having the lowest (8.7 +/- 4.2 mu V). Among the absent sensory nerve action potentials (SNAPs), the Spartan technique was absent only twice (1.2%) and the Izzo Medial technique was absent more than the other techniques (2.9%). Conclusions: All 4 techniques were reliable methods for obtaining the superficial fibular nerve SNAP, present in 95% of individuals.