Diagnostic advantage of S1 foramen-evoked H-reflex for S1 radiculopathy in patients with diabetes mellitus

Hoffmann reflex to tibial nerve stimulation at the popliteal fossa (tibial H-reflex) is routinely used to evaluate S1 radiculopathy. However, it lacks sensitivity because other lesions along this reflex circuit affect the H-reflex bilaterally. This study was undertaken to determine whether the H-reflex evoked by stimulating proximally at the S1 foramen (S1 foramen H-reflex) could improve S1 root lesion evaluation sensitivity in patients with diabetes mellitus. A randomized paired study was designed to evaluate tibial and S1 foramen H-reflexes; bilateral H-M interval (HMI) and H-reflex latency were compared in 22 diabetic patients with unilateral S1 radiculopathy. Other electrophysiological evaluations included standard tibial conduction studies, sural conduction studies and needle electromyography (EMG). The S1 foramen H-reflex had a significantly higher sensitivity (91.0%, 20 of 22) in evaluating S1 radiculopathy than the conventional tibial H-reflex (63.6%, 14 of 22, p < 0.05). Bilateral tibial compound muscle action potential amplitudes were reduced in 3 patients, and sural sensory nerve action potential amplitudes decreased in 7 patients. Needle EMG revealed denervation restricted to the paraspinal muscle and myotomes supplied by the S1 nerve root on the ipsilateral side in 18 patients, and multiple lumbosacral nerve roots were involved bilaterally in the other 4 patients. Our results demonstrate that the S1 foramen H-reflex is a more sensitive assessment of S1 compressive radiculopathy in patients with diabetes mellitus.