Peripheral Nerve Conduction Abnormalities and Their Association with Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Unilateral Hemiplegia Secondary to Stroke

Background/Objectives: Peripheral nerve conduction abnormalities may occur after stroke, but their clinical relevance in chronic hemiplegia remains unclear. This study aimed to characterize these abnormalities and examine their associations with motor and functional outcomes.

Methods

This single-center, cross-sectional observational study included 72 patients with unilateral hemiplegia ≥ 6 months after ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke. Bilateral lower-extremity nerve conduction studies (NCS) were performed in all participants. In participants without findings suggestive of distal symmetric polyneuropathy (DSP), bilateral upper-extremity NCS were also performed to assess focal entrapment neuropathies; when DSP was suspected from lower-extremity findings, one upper extremity was examined to confirm upper-extremity involvement. Clinical assessments included the Fugl-Meyer Assessment, Functional Independence Measure, Timed Up and Go test, and computerized posturographic fall-risk assessment. Associations between NCS findings and clinical outcomes were examined using adjusted regression analyses.