A comparative electrophysiological and histological study of sensory conduction velocity and Meissner corpuscles of the median nerve in pneumatic tool workers.

The sensory conduction velocity of the median nerve has been determined according to the technique described by Buchthal and Rosenfalck in 32 pneumatic tool workers and in 32 normal controls of the same age group. In each worker and in 8 normals of the same age group the Meissner corpuscles of the skin of the thumb of the side investigated were studied according to the technique described by Ridley and Dickens et al. The only relevant electrophysiological finding was represented by a decreased amplitude of the evoked response of the median nerve at the wrist, probably pointing to some degree of distal axonal degeneration. As to the histological findings, no significant variations from normal were found in the Meissner corpuscles of the workers. A trend towards a quantitative reduction of the corpuscles in those subjects who showed a decreased amplitude of the evoked response did not reach the level of significance.