TY - JOUR KW - Sensory nerve action potential KW - Near nerve technique KW - Minimum conduction velocity KW - Leprosy neuropathy KW - Full text online AU - Arruda APM AU - Marques Jr W AU - Foss N AU - Garbino J AU - Virmond M AU - Barreira AA AB - Leprosy neuropathy is characterized by initial involvement of the small nerve fibers, later followed by involvement of the large fibers, when routine nerve conduction studies become abnormal. To increase the diagnostic yield and precocity of these studies, we applied the near nerve technique to the sural nerve of 8 leprosy patients. Contrary to our expectations, the main component of the sural nerve sensory action potential was abnormal in all patients, but the minimum conduction velocity originating from small 3-6 mm fibers was normal or only mildly involved in three patients. Also, although Schwann cells are the first to be involved in leprosy, the results are suggestive of axonal degeneration instead of demyelination. To better understand the neurophysiology and physiology of leprosy and to increase the accuracy and precocity of the diagnosis, it will be necessary to investigate patients in the very early stages of the disease and to correlate these findings with the corresponding nerve pathology. BT - Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria CN - ARRUDA 2004 DA - 09/2004 DO - 10.1590/S0004-282X2004000400001 IS - 3 J2 - Arq Neuropsiquiatr LA - eng N2 - Leprosy neuropathy is characterized by initial involvement of the small nerve fibers, later followed by involvement of the large fibers, when routine nerve conduction studies become abnormal. To increase the diagnostic yield and precocity of these studies, we applied the near nerve technique to the sural nerve of 8 leprosy patients. Contrary to our expectations, the main component of the sural nerve sensory action potential was abnormal in all patients, but the minimum conduction velocity originating from small 3-6 mm fibers was normal or only mildly involved in three patients. Also, although Schwann cells are the first to be involved in leprosy, the results are suggestive of axonal degeneration instead of demyelination. To better understand the neurophysiology and physiology of leprosy and to increase the accuracy and precocity of the diagnosis, it will be necessary to investigate patients in the very early stages of the disease and to correlate these findings with the corresponding nerve pathology. PB - Scielo PY - 2004 SP - 571 EP - 574 T2 - Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria TI - Near nerve potencial of sural nerve in leprosy TT - [Estudo da condução do nervo sural com a técnica de eletrodos justa-nervo em pacientes com moléstia de Hansen] UR - http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0004-282X2004000400001&nrm=iso VL - 62 SN - 0004-282X ER -