Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35237894›Full record

ArticleNeurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology2022

Ultrasonographic evaluation reveals thinning of cervical nerve roots and peripheral nerves in spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy.

Daisuke Watanabe, Hiroshi Tsukamoto, Tatsuya Abe, Ruriko Kitao, Aya Okuma, Masatoshi Mihara, Atsuko Katsumoto, Yukiko Iwahashi, Yuichi Higashiyama, Yosuke Miyaji and 4 more

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Article in Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 26% 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

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 7 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Nerve ultrasound abnormality inClinical neurophysiology practice · 2025
    Article
  3. Small nerves are a distinguishing feature of spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA).Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2022
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Daisuke WatanabeDepartment of Neurology, National Hospital Organization Hakone Hospital, Odawara, Japan.
Hiroshi TsukamotoDepartment of Neurology, Tokyo Medical University Ibaraki Medical Center, Ibaraki, Japan.
Tatsuya AbeDepartment of Neurology, National Hospital Organization Hakone Hospital, Odawara, Japan.
Ruriko KitaoDepartment of Neurology, National Hospital Organization Hakone Hospital, Odawara, Japan.
Aya OkumaDepartment of Neurology, National Hospital Organization Hakone Hospital, Odawara, Japan.
Masatoshi MiharaDepartment of Neurology, National Hospital Organization Hakone Hospital, Odawara, Japan.
Atsuko KatsumotoDepartment of Neurology and Stroke Medicine, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-9 Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan.
Yukiko IwahashiDepartment of Neurology and Stroke Medicine, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-9 Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan.
Yuichi HigashiyamaDepartment of Neurology and Stroke Medicine, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-9 Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan.
Yosuke MiyajiDepartment of Neurology and Stroke Medicine, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-9 Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan.
Hideto JokiDepartment of Neurology and Stroke Medicine, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-9 Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan.
Hiroshi DoiDepartment of Neurology and Stroke Medicine, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-9 Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan.
Tetsuo Komori *Department of Neurology, National Hospital Organization Hakone Hospital, Odawara, Japan.
Fumiaki Tanaka *Department of Neurology and Stroke Medicine, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-9 Fukuura, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan. ftanaka@yokohama-cu.ac.jp.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9961-2693
Yokohama City University · JPNational Hospital Organization · JPTokyo Medical University Ibaraki Medical Center · JP

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundUltrasonography (US) is a noninvasive and patient-friendly tool for the evaluation of peripheral nerves. In motor neuron diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has been reported to show the atrophy of peripheral nerves on US. However, the US findings are still unclear in spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA), an adult-onset lower motor neuron disease caused by an abnormal CAG repeat expansion in the androgen receptor gene.

methodsWe prospectively recruited and evaluated 11 patients with genetically confirmed SBMA and 9 patients with ALS diagnosed according to the revised El Escorial ALS criteria or the Awaji electrodiagnostic criteria. The C5-C7 cervical nerve roots and the median and ulnar nerves were evaluated ultrasonographically.

resultsThe cross-sectional areas (CSAs) of the C6 and C7 nerve roots, the median nerve in the upper arm and forearm, and the ulnar nerve in the upper arm were smaller in patients with SBMA than those in patients with ALS (p < 0.05), whereas the CSAs of the C5 nerve root and the ulnar nerve in the forearm were not smaller.

conclusionsUS showed that the peripheral nerves in patients with SBMA were thinner than those in patients with ALS despite similar degrees of weakness and motor neuron loss. Possible causes include additional sensory nerve involvement and longer disease duration in patients with SBMA than those in patients with ALS.

Indexed as

Amyotrophic Lateral SclerosisBulbo-Spinal Atrophy, X-LinkedMotor Neuron DiseaseMuscular Atrophy, SpinalAdultHumansPeripheral NervesSpinal Nerve RootsAmyotrophic lateral sclerosisMotor and sensory neuron lossNeuromuscular ultrasoundPeripheral nerve atrophySpinal and bulbar muscular atrophy

Identifiers

PMID35237894
OpenAlexW4214862264

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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.