Redefining the Superficial Peroneal Nerve: Stimulation Technique, Normal Values, Clinical Significance

Abstract

Polyneuropathy diagnosis often depends on sural sensory response values. The superficial peroneal nerve may serve as an alternative. This study aims to establish techniques for studying the superficial peroneal nerve and its branches while documenting normative values. It also seeks to compare nerve conduction values with those of the sural sensory nerve. This study attempts to validate the reliability of the superficial peroneal sensory nerve for sensory neuropathy diagnosis by comparing it with the sural nerve in diabetics. The first part studies 23 healthy subjects aged 20 to 50. Nerve conduction studies were conducted on sural and superficial peroneal nerves and parameters were collected. The second part examines the trunk of the superficial peroneal sensory response and sural nerves in 13 diabetic patients with clinically diagnosed diabetic polyneuropathy, comparing values with age-matched healthy controls. In the first part which included 23 healthy subjects, mean values for distal latency, amplitude, and conduction velocity were documented for the trunk of the superficial peroneal nerve, IDCN, MDCN, and sural nerve. In the second part, diabetic patients of which 6 were males and 7 were females between the ages 50 and 80 years demonstrated lower amplitudes in both the trunk of the superficial peroneal nerve and sural nerve compared to healthy controls. This study substantiates the reliability of the trunk of the superficial peroneal sensory nerve in sensory nerve conduction testing. The results suggest that this method could be used as an alternative to sural nerve studies in evaluating patients with peripheral neuropathy.