Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
1
pubmed:dateCreated
2007-12-24
pubmed:abstractText
In this prospective study, intraepidermal nerve fiber densities (IENFD) and subepidermal nerve plexus densities (SENPD) were quantified by immunostaining in skin punch biopsies from the distal calf in 99 patients with clinical symptoms of painful sensory neuropathy and from 37 age-matched healthy volunteers. The clinical diagnosis was based on history and abnormal thermal thresholds on quantitative sensory testing (QST). In patients with neuropathy, IENFD and SENPD were reduced to about 50% of controls. Elevated warm detection thresholds on QST correlated with IENFD but not with SENPD. Using receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis of IENFD values, the diagnostic sensitivity for detecting neuropathy was 0.80 and the specificity 0.82. For SENPD, sensitivity was 0.81 and specificity 0.88. With ROC analysis of both IENFD and SENPD together, the diagnostic sensitivity was further improved to 0.92. The combined examination of IENFD and SENPD is a highly sensitive and specific diagnostic tool in patients suspected to suffer from painful sensory neuropathies but with normal values on clinical neurophysiological studies.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Jan
pubmed:issn
0148-639X
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
37
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
50-60
pubmed:dateRevised
2008-11-21
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed-meshheading:17763459-Adult, pubmed-meshheading:17763459-Afferent Pathways, pubmed-meshheading:17763459-Aged, pubmed-meshheading:17763459-Aged, 80 and over, pubmed-meshheading:17763459-Biopsy, pubmed-meshheading:17763459-Epidermis, pubmed-meshheading:17763459-Female, pubmed-meshheading:17763459-Humans, pubmed-meshheading:17763459-Hyperalgesia, pubmed-meshheading:17763459-Male, pubmed-meshheading:17763459-Middle Aged, pubmed-meshheading:17763459-Neuralgia, pubmed-meshheading:17763459-Nociceptors, pubmed-meshheading:17763459-Pain Threshold, pubmed-meshheading:17763459-Peripheral Nervous System Diseases, pubmed-meshheading:17763459-Predictive Value of Tests, pubmed-meshheading:17763459-Prospective Studies, pubmed-meshheading:17763459-ROC Curve, pubmed-meshheading:17763459-Sensitivity and Specificity, pubmed-meshheading:17763459-Sensory Receptor Cells
pubmed:year
2008
pubmed:articleTitle
Diagnostic validity of epidermal nerve fiber densities in painful sensory neuropathies.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Neurology, University Hospital Brno, Jihlavska 20, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't