Age-related characteristics and normative values of F waves in healthy infants

Abstract Objective To establish age-related characteristics and normative values of F waves in healthy Chinese infants. Methods We studied median, ulnar and tibial nerves on one side distally in 229 healthy Chinese infants (108 males) ranging from 1 to 12 months old. Results Minimal F-wave latencies (Fmin) showed a strong negative correlation to the age for median,ulnar and tibial nerves (P 0.05) thereafter. Dividing the infants into 1 month old (Group 1) and 2 to 12 months old (Group 2), normal values (Mean ± SD ms) of Fmin for tibial, median and ulnar nerves consisted of 23.38 ± 1.68, 17.19 ± 0.95 and 16.47 ±1.06 for Group 1 and 21.42 ± 1.25, 14.50 ± 1.15 and 14.52 ±0.90 for Group 2. Conclusion F-wave latencies decreased (P Significance Likely, F waves can reliably assess infants with neuropathies, complementing conventional nerve conduction studies, and avoiding measurement errors in short limbs.