CHEPs in lower limbs and small fibre neuropathy

Impairment of peripheral afferent fibers leads to impaired sensory function like paresthesia and pain. Conventional clinical neurophysiology detects large fiber impairment but these examinations cannot reveal small fibers involvement. Small fiber integrity can be assessed with CHEPs but recording potentials from the lower extremities has been considered rather difficult and poorly reproducible. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the feasibility of CHEPs from lower extremities deploying our increased baseline stimulation protocol.

Figure 1: Representative example of CHEPs recordings from the lower extremities of the normal and increased baseline protocol of each dermatome (L2, S2 & L5) tested (female, 51 years).

Accurate monitoring of progressive diseases such as peripheral neuropathies with CHEPs will be investigated in different patient populations with small fibre involvement.

Publications:

Rosner J, Sirucek L, Hostettler P, Scheuren PS, Rinert J, Curt A, Jutzeler CR, Hubli M (2018). Normative data of contact heat evoked potentials from lower extremities. Scientific Reports; 8(1):11003.

Rosner J*, Hubli M*, Hostettler P, Scheuren PS, Rinert J, Kramer JLK, Hupp M, Curt A, Jutzeler CR (2017). Contact heat evoked potentials: reliable acquisition from lower extremities. Clinical Neurophysiology; 129(3): 584-591, (*shared first authors)

For further information please contact: Dr. Michèle Hubli