• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.607-611
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• 2010

Bickerstaff's brainstem encephalitis (BBE) is a rare disease diagnosed by specific clinical features such as 'progressive, relatively symmetric external ophthalmoplegia and ataxia by 4 weeks' and 'disturbance of consciousness or hyperreflexia' after the exclusion of other diseases involving the brain stem. Anti-ganglioside antibodies (GM, GD and GQ) in the serum or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are sometimes informative for the diagnosis of BBE because of the rarity of positive findings in other diagnositic methods: brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), routine CSF examination, motor nerve conduction study, and needle electromyography. We report a rare case of childhood BBE with elevated anti-GM1 antibodies in the serum, who had specific clinical symptoms such as a cranial polyneuropathy presenting as ophthalmoplegia, dysarthria, dysphagia, and facial weakness; progressive motor weakness; altered mental status; and ataxia. However, the brain MRI, routine CSF examination, nerve conduction studies, electromyography, somatosensory evoked potentials, and brainstem auditory evoked potentials were normal. BBE was suspected and the patient was successfully treated with intravenous immunoglobulins.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.250-259
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• 2020

Diabetes is a well-known risk factor for dementia and cognitive impairment. Diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN) is the most prevalent microvascular complication in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relation between diabetic peripheral polyneuropathy and cognitive factors in T2DM patients. Retrospective chart review of type 2 diabetic patients with results of a nerve conduction study (NCS) and a neurocognitive study. A total of 19 patients were included. DPN was defined using data from a nerve conduction study: a score of less than 24 in the Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (K-MMSE) was considered as an indicator of cognitive impairment (CI). The mean age of the 19 patients was 71.6±5.0 years. The mean duration of diabetes was 8.4±9.1 years, and the mean HbA1c level was 8.1±1.8%. DPN was present in 7 of the 19 patients. Based on the K-MMSE score, CI was diagnosed in eight patients. The mean K-MMSE scores and the prevalence of CI was not different between the groups with and without DPN. There was no significant difference in DPN prevalence between the groups with and without CI. Education was significantly correlated with cognitive factors. Only the digit span-forward among the cognitive factors showed a significant negative correlation with nerve conduction velocity. In conclusion, the longer education period was associated with higher cognitive function and no significant correlation was observed between diabetic peripheral neuropathy and cognitive dysfunction in type 2 diabetic patients. Further prospective research is needed in the future.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.445-452
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• 2015

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a neuromodulatory technique that delivers a low-intensity direct current to the cortical areas, thereby facilitating or inhibiting spontaneous neuronal activity. This study was designed to examine the changes in various sensory functions after tDCS. A single-center, single-blinded, randomized trial was conducted to determine the effect of a single session (August 4 to August 29) of tDCS with the current perception threshold (CPT) in 50 healthy volunteers. Nerve conduction studies (NCS) were performed in relation to the median sensory and motor nerves on the dominant hand to discriminate peripheral nerve lesions. The subjects received anodal tDCS with 1mA for 15 minutes under two different conditions, with 25 subjects in each group. The conditions were as follows: tDCS on the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and sham tDCS on DLPFC. The parameters of the CPT was recorded with a Neurometer$^{(R)}$ at frequencies of 2000, 250 and 5 Hz in the dominant index finger to assess the tactile sense, fast pain and slow pain, respectively. In the test to measure the CPT values of the DLPFC in the anodal tDCS group, the values increased significantly in all of 250 and 5 Hz. All CPT values decreased for the sham tDCS. These results showed that DLPFC anodal tDCS can modulate the sensory perception and pain thresholds in healthy adult volunteers. This study suggests that tDCS may be a useful strategy for treating central neurogenic pain in rehabilitation medicine.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea SC
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• v.43 no.3 s.309
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• pp.60-66
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was to suggest a new detection method for early diagnosing diabetic neuropathic foot by obtaining a ratio of toe to finger blood flow using photoplethysmography(PPG) and Laser Doppler(LD). Nerve conduction velocity (NCV) has been routinely used for diagnosing neuropathic foot, but it applies strong electric stimulus to peripheries resulting in stress and pain. The blood flow ratio of 50 neuropathic diabetes($0.96{\pm}0.20$) was significantly higher than that of 64 normal person($0.46{\pm}0.15$)(p<0.000). It also showed that toe temperature of neuropathic diabetes($30.5{\pm}1.4^{\circ}C$) was significantly higher than that of normal group($29.3{\pm}2.0^{\circ}C$)(p<0.000). The optimal boundary value of the blood flow ratio was found to be 0.678 and the sensitivity and specificity of this proposed method resulted in 95.3% and 95.3% respectively. Lastly, there were no neuropathic diabetes whose temperature difference between finger and toe was higher than $4.5\;^{\circ}C$.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.35 no.11
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• pp.835-838
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• 2002

A 68-year-old man with Guillain-Barre syndrome after the resection of right upper lobe for squamous cell lung cancer is presented. He developed a sudden, symmetric, extremity weakness, respiratory insufficiency, and sensory ataxia on postoperative day 6. He was intubated emergently and placed on a ventilator. Electrodiagnostic studies were performed on days 2, 20, and 40 following the onset of weakness. Motor nerve conduction abnormalities were the predominant findings. Prolonged motor distal latencies, temporal dispersion, and partial motor conduction blocks were present and formed the diagnostic features of Guillain-Barre syndrome. With supportive care and additive use of intravenous immunoglobulin, the illness resolved 6 weeks later after the onset of weakness.

• The Journal of the Korean bone and joint tumor society
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.80-88
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• 1997

Malignant tumors of extremeties involving major neurovascular structures have been treated by amputation. However recent development of diagnostic tools(CT, MRI etc.), surgical techniques, anticancer chemotherapeutic agents, and radiation techniques allow surgeons to treat malignant tumors in the limb without amputation. It has been reported that a local application of low-heat to the tissue with tumor can kill tumor cells. It is, however, not known if the attendant neural and vascular injuries may be recovered. The present study was, therefore, undertakn to address this question in rabbit sciatic nerves. A low-heat injury to the sciatic nerve was induced by perfusing the nerve with $60^{\circ}C$ saline for 30 minutes and the courses of functional and morphological recovery of the nerve were evaluated for 16 weeks. The results are summerized as follows : 1. In the electromyographic nerve conduction test the average amplitude was markedly attenuated at 4 and 8 weeks after the low-heat treatment, but it progressively increased to the level 89.5% of the control at 16 week post-treatment. The average latency in the control group was 0.62 msec. The latency in the experimental group was much longer than this at 4 and 8 week post-treatment, but it progressively reverted to the control level, showing 0.622 msec at 16 weeks. 2. In the needle EMG, many fibrillation potentials and positive sharp waves were appeared until 8 weeks post-treatment. After 16 weeks, however, no fibrillation potential was observed. 3. In the early phase of post-treatment period, the myelinated nerve fibers contained many vacuoles and the number of myelinated nerve fibers appeared to be considerably reduced. However, as time goes myelinated nerve fibers were regenerated, such that after 16 weeks the histologic appearance of the nerve was similar to that of the control group.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.125-134
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• 2006

Among the various physiological factors that affect nerve conduction velocity (NCV), temperature is the most important. Because the influence of temperature is the most important source of error. It is known from animal experiments that conduction is eventually completely blocked at low temperatures, the myelinated A fibers being the first affected and the thin fibers of group C the last. Many studies showed that the NCV decreases linearly with lowering temperature within the physiological range. The distal motor latency increased by $0.2msec/^{\circ}C$ drop in temperature between $25^{\circ}C$and $35^{\circ}C$ in the median, ulnar and peroneal nerves. The temperature affect the neuromuscular transmission; The miniature endplate potential (MEPP) and endplate potential (EPP) are increase with increasing temperature. In myasthenia gravis, the reduction in the decremental response is observed following cooling. The lowering temperature make increase the amplitude of sensory compound action potential; make enlarge the surface area of compound muscle action potential with very little increase in amplitude; make diminish the fibrillation potential and increase the myotonia in needle electromyography (EMG). Because of these findings mentioned above, the skin temperature should be routinely monitored and controlled during nerve conduction tests and needle EMG and should be taken into account when interpreting the findings.

• Proceedings of the KOR-BRONCHOESO Conference
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• 1987.05a
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• pp.22.1-22
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• 1987

인후부, 하인두부 및 경부 등에 종양감각(lump sensation)등의 이상감각을 호소하는 globus 증후군은 Hippocrates가 처음 기술한 이래 많은 저자들에 의해 여러 가지 다양한 원인들이 기술되어 왔지만 아직 뚜렷한 병인이 밝혀지지 않은 상태로 기질적 원인에 대한 다각적인 연구가 진행중이다. 이에 저자들은 1986년 7월부터 1987년 2월까지 연세대학교 의과대학 이비인후과학 교실을 방문한 85명의 globus 증후 환자를 대상으로 전향적 연구를 시행 다음과 같은 결과를 얻었다. 1) 주증상은 무언가 걸린듯한 느낌이 가장 많았고(40.8%), 기타 점액객출 및 종양감각이 있었으며, 증상부위는 하인두부(26.8%) 및 윤상연골부(28.0%)가 많았고. 증상 유발인자로는 피로 및 신경과민증이 동반된 기질적 병변으로는 비후성 설편도염 및 인두염이 가장 많았다. 2) 비데오-식도조영술 검사상 27명(31.8%)에서 윤상인두근 이상수축이 있었으며 기타 식도복(3명), 식도점막이상(1명)등이 있었고 윤상인두근 이상수축이 있었던 환자군과 없었던 환자군 사이에 주증상, 증상부위, 동반증상, 기질적 병변 및 치료경과에는 차이가 없었으며 50% 이상의 수축을 보인 3명의 환자에서 내시경 검사상 이상소견은 관찰되지 않았다. 3) 치료는 특별한 기질적 병변이 없는 한 자세한 설명을 통한 치유의 확신감을 주고 필요에 따라 진정제, 제산제 및 cimetidine을 투여한 결과 65.3%에서 증상의 완전소실 및 현저한 호전이 있었고, 24.5%에서는 어느 전도의 호전이 있었으며, 10.2%에서는 증상의 호전이 없었다.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.16-20
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• 2010

Background: The medial plantar nerve (MPN) is a distal branch of the posterior tibial nerve, and various methods of nerve conduction study for MPN have been introduced so far. Hemmi et al described a new method (Hemmi's method) for recording medial plantar sensory nerve action potentials (SNAPs), which is considered as a simple and reliable method for measuring medial plantar SNAPs. This study was aimed to establish the normal values for the MPN conduction study among Koreans and to compare the sensitivities of three different methods for MPN conduction study (Hemmi, Oh, and Saeed's method) in detecting evidence of peripheral neuropathy among diabetic patients. Methods: In 27 healthy subjects, MPN conduction study using Hemmi's method was performed and normal values were calculated. In 54 diabetic patients who showed normal routine nerve conduction studies, three different methods for MPN conduction study were performed and diagnostic sensitivity of each method were compared. Results: In normal subjects, the mean medial plantar SNAP amplitude and conduction velocities measured by Hemmi's method were $4.3{\pm}1.0$ uV and $38.3{\pm}6.8$ m/s respectively. Among 54 patients with diabetes who showed normal routine nerve conduction studies, medial plantar SNAP was not obtainable in 28, 31, and 6 patients by Hemmi, Oh and Saeed's method respectively. Conclusions: In terms of the diagnostic sensitivity for detecting diabetic neuropathy, there had been no significant statistical difference between three different methods. Our study suggested that MPN conduction study using Hemmi's method is simple and useful screening test for early diabetic neuropathy, and is comparable with Oh's method.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.97-100
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• 2005

Background: The most distal sensory fibers of the feet are often affected first in polyneuropathy. However, they are not evaluated in routine nerve conduction studies. Thus we evaluated the dorsal sural sensory nerve in patients with sensorimotor polyneuropathy with normal sural response, in order to assess the usefulness in electrodiagnostic practice. Methods: In this study, 53 healthy subjects and 27 patients with clinical evidence of sensorimotor polyneuropathy were included. In all subjects, peripheral motor and sensory nerve studies were performed on the upper and lower limbs including dorsal sural nerve conduction studies. On electrodiagnostic testing, all patients had normal sural responses. Results: The dorsal sural sensory nerve action potentials (SNAPs) mean amplitude was $13.12{\pm}5.68{\mu}V$, mean latency was $3.12{\pm}0.43msec$, and mean sensory conduction velocity (SCV) was $36.50{\pm}3.40m/s$ in healthy subjects. In 7 of 27 patients, the dorsal sural nerve SNAPs were absent bilaterally, and in 20 patients, the mean dorsal sural nerve distal latency was longer($3.40{\pm}0.48ms$, P=0.006), and mean SCV was slower than in healthy subjects($35.08{\pm}4.59$, P=0.043). However, dorsal sural nerve amplitude was not different between the groups (P=0.072). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that dorsal sural nerve conduction studies should be included in the routine electrodiagnostic evaluation of patients with suspected polyneuropathy and normal sural nerve responses.