Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34742241›Full record

ArticleBMC medical imaging2021

Influence of temperature on sonographic images of the median nerve for the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome: a case control study.

Yi-Wei Chang, Chii-Jen Chen, You-Wei Wang, Valeria Chiu, Shinn-Kuang Lin, Yi-Shiung Horng

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC medical imaging, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
0.7field-weighted citation impact, top 29% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Does hot pack application change the morphology of the median and ulnar nerves?Turkish journal of physical medicine and rehabilitation · 2023
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Yi-Wei ChangDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, No. 289, Jianguo Rd., Xindian Dist., New Taipei City, 231, Taiwan, ROC.
Chii-Jen ChenDepartment of Medical Imaging and Radiological Technology, Yuanpei University of Medical Technology, Hsinchu, Taiwan, ROC.
You-Wei WangDepartment of Computer Science and Information Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
Valeria ChiuDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, No. 289, Jianguo Rd., Xindian Dist., New Taipei City, 231, Taiwan, ROC.
Shinn-Kuang LinDepartment of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan, ROC.
Yi-Shiung HorngDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, No. 289, Jianguo Rd., Xindian Dist., New Taipei City, 231, Taiwan, ROC. yshorng2015@gmail.com.
Tzu Chi University · TWNational Taiwan University · TWTaipei Tzu Chi Hospital · TWYuanpei University · TW

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIn addition to nerve conduction studies (NCSs), ultrasonography has been widely used as an alternative tool for diagnosing carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Although the results of NCSs are influenced by local skin temperature, few studies have explored the effects of skin temperature on ultrasonography of the median nerve. Since swelling and intraneural blood flow of the median nerve might be influenced by local temperature changes, the aim of this study was to evaluate the cross-sectional area (CSA) and intraneural blood flow of the median nerve under three skin temperatures (30 °C, 32 °C, 34 °C).

methodsFifty patients with CTS and 50 healthy volunteers were consecutively recruited from a community hospital. Each participant received physical examinations and NCSs and underwent ultrasonography, including power Doppler, to evaluate intraneural vascularity.

resultsThe CSA of the median nerve in the CTS patients was significantly larger than that in the healthy controls at all three temperatures. However, significant differences in the power Doppler signals of the median nerve between the two studied groups were observed only at 30 and 32 °C, not at 34 °C.

conclusionThe significant difference in the intraneural vascularity of the median nerve between the patients with CTS and the healthy subjects was lost at higher temperatures (34 °C). Therefore, the results of power Doppler ultrasonography in diagnosing CTS should be cautiously interpreted in patients with a high skin temperature or those who reside in warm environments.

Indexed as

Skin TemperatureCarpal Tunnel SyndromeCase-Control StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMedian NerveMiddle AgedNeural ConductionUltrasonographyUltrasonography, DopplerBlood flowCarpal tunnel syndromePower DopplerSkin temperatureUltrasonography

Identifiers

PMID34742241
PMCPMC8571853
OpenAlexW3213900668

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.