J Korean Acad Rehabil Med.  1999 Aug;23(4):786-791.

The Neuropathy of the Electrical Burn

• Kim MW
• Kim JH
• Lee JM
• Paik NJ
• Kang MJ
• Kim BS

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
To know the category, incidence, severity and clinical correlation, we evaluate the patient with neuropathy due to electrical burn on the basis of the electrodiagnostic findings and clinical feature. METHOD: We reviewed the electrodiagnostic findings of 30 patients who had been referred for the evaluation of the neuromuscular symptoms due to electrical burn. The clinical factors such as the input and output of the electrical current, current pathway, associated injury, neuromuscular symptoms and signs were investigated by the chart review and phone interview.
RESULTS
1) The 67% of the cases had the peripheral neuropathy and the 40% had the central nervous system lesion. 2) The median nerve was the most frequent injured nerve by electrical burn and then ulnar nerve was the next. 3) The 82% of the mononeuropathies were related to the entrance site of the electricity and the 35% were related to the exit site. 4) The central nervous system lesion was highly correlated with the current pathway through the head.
CONCLUSION
The mononeuropathy, one of the peripheral neuropathies is closely related to the entrance and exit site of electrical injury. The central nervous system lesion was highly related to the current pathway through the head.

Keyword

Electrical burn; Neuropathy; Electrodiagnosis

MeSH Terms

Burns*
Central Nervous System
Electricity
Electrodiagnosis
Head
Humans
Incidence
Median Nerve
Mononeuropathies
Peripheral Nervous System Diseases
Ulnar Nerve