Creating reference NCS data of the major upper and lower limb nerves
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Establishing high-quality reference data for nerve conduction studies of the median, ulnar, radial, sural, tibial and peroneal nerves from within a healthy population - A Pilot Study.
IRAS ID
315943
Contact name
Joseph Hardman
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Aston University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 3 months, 25 days
Research summary
This research project will be a non-randomised pilot study which will look to assess the feasibility of, and contribute preliminary data towards, creating reference data for the commonly investigated nerves in the upper and lower limbs of a healthy population. Nerve conduction studies (NCS) assess the integrity and function of specific nerves and whether the electrophysiological ‘messages’ these nerves relay are impeded. NCS's are routinely employed for identifying things like nerve injuries or entrapments and play an important role in the diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy, a condition estimated to affect 1 in every 10 people over the age of 55 in the UK.
Without reference data, there is no standard against which clinical findings can be compared to identify and diagnose problems that people may be having, clearly underlining its importance in clinical application. Without reference data, there is no diagnostic value in performing the test. When performing nerve conduction studies specifically, the following parameters collected in clinic(s) are compared to reference data by clinical scientists or consultant neurophysiologists to diagnose nerve-related disorders: sensory and motor nerve conduction velocities (SNCV & MNCV); sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) and compound muscle action potential (CMAP) amplitudes; F-wave latency and distal motor latency (DML). It is essential that reference data is drawn from a healthy population who have no signs of any disease, especially not - in the context of this project – pre-existing peripheral neuropathy or disease predisposing one to peripheral neuropathy. Therefore, all participants will be screened for eligibility prior to recruitment in line with specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, to ensure the suitability of all participants recruited. This pilot study will assess specific feasibility criteria to enable a recommendation of the practicability of carrying out the main study, alongside this, the aforementioned NCS parameters will also be measured and presented as preliminary findings.
REC name
North West - Haydock Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/NW/0334
Date of REC Opinion
13 Oct 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion