Objectives: 

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune inflammatory and degenerative process resulting in demyelination in the central nervous system (CNS), which is followed by remyelination. Electroneurography (ENG) is a clinical electrophysiological method for the evaluation of the type and severity of the peripheral motor and sensory nerve damages. This article aims at assessing the involvement degree of the peripheral nervous system for patients with MS.

Materials: 

We studied peripheral nerve function among 15 patients with MS and 10 age- and sex-matched control subjects. The ENG was done in the motor fibres of the peroneal, tibial, median nerves and in the sensitive fibres of sural, median nerves according to standard procedures. For motor nerves the following indices were studied: motor distal latency (MDL – ms), compound motor action potential (CMAP – mV) at proximal and distal stimulation, motor nerve conduction velocity (mNCV – m/s). At examination of sensitive nerves the following parameters were measured: latency, sensory nerve action potential (SNAP – microV), sensory nerve conduction velocity (sNCV – m/s).

Results: 

The ENG showed that the CMAP, mNCV in peroneal nerves are much reduced in MS patients as compared to the control group (p<0.01). We found prolonged MDL (p<0.01) and reduced CMAP (p<0.05) in tibial nerves in MS patients. In median nerves only MDL were prolonged in MS (p<0.02). We did not found any difference in sNCV, SNAP in sural and median nerves between groups.

Conclusions: 

Peripheral nervous system is a target organ in MS, as well as CNS. Motor nerves are more affected in MS.