The clinical and electrophysiological research on peripheral nerve injuries in neurobrucellosis / 中国神经精神疾病杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To characterize the clinical manifestations and to evaluate the value of the electrophysio-logical examination in patients with peripheral nerves injuries caused by neurobrucellosis. Methods Electrophysiology examination was conducted in 32 patients with peripheral nerve injuries caused by neurobrucellosis and 32 normal controls who had equivalent age and gender. The results were further statistically analyzed. Results There were sig-nificant difference between patients and healthy control group in distal motor latency (DML), compound motor active potentials (CMAP) amplitude, motor nerve conduction velocity (MCV), sensory nerve action potential latency(SL),senso-ry nerve action potential (SNAP) amplitude and sensory nerve conduction velocity (SCV) ( P﹤0.05). Electrophysiology examination revealed peripheral nerve damage of limbs involving, both sensory nerve and motor nerves, of which sen-sory and motor nerve injuries accounted for 55.47% and 16.80%, respectively. Median and sural nerve injuries were most frequently affected in upper (64) and lower limbs (16). Motor and sensory nerve conduction velocity was delayed in 43 nerves (16.80%) of 256 examined motor nerves and in 142 nerves (55.47%) of 256 examined sensory nerves. The damage of the sensory nerves was more severe than those of the motor nerves and damage of nerves in the upper limbs was more severe than those in the lower limbs. Conclusion Electrophysiologoical examination provides objective basis for the diagnosis of peripheral nerve injuries in neurobrucellosis.