Respective importance of different nerve conduction velocities in leprosy.

Motor and sensory nerve conduction studies were performed in the distal part of the ulnar, median and radial nerves of 12 tuberculoid and 12 lepromatous leprosy patients, compared with 15 normal subjects. Slowing of sensory conduction velocity (SCV) was shown in all nerves with no difference between tuberculoid and lepromatous patients. The radial SCV slowing is correlated (P less than 0.001) with the clinical findings. Impairment of motor distal latencies was observed only in tuberculpoid patients. It is concluded that the radial SCV is the most reliable conduction test and is proposed as an early diagnostic test for leprosy.