Table 4. Absolute difference in cross-sectional area (ΔCSA) measurements (mm2) between right and left sides by high-resolution ultrasonography in healthy volunteers and leprosy household contacts.
| Nerves | Healthy volunteers | Seropositive HC | Seronegative HC | p1 value | p2 value | p3 value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median (Mpt) | n | 53 | 49 | 30 | |||
| Mean ± SD | 0.66 ± 0.71 | 0.63 ± 0.64 | 0.47 ± 0.57 | >0.9999 | 0.6917 | 0.7506 | |
| Median (Q1/Q3) | 1 (0/1) | 1 (0/1) | 0 (0/1) | ||||
| 95% CI | [0.47–0.85] | [0.45–0.82] | [0.25–0.68] | ||||
| Abnormal (>2.79) | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Median (Mt) | n | 53 | 44 | 28 | |||
| Mean ± SD | 0.72 ± 0.79 | 0.75 ± 0.81 | 0.57 ± 0.57 | >0.9999 | >0.9999 | >0.9999 | |
| Median (Q1/Q3) | 1 (0/1) | 1 (0/1) | 1 (0/1) | ||||
| 95% CI | [0.5–0.94] | [0.51–1.09] | [0.35–0.79] | ||||
| Abnormal (>3.09) | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Ulnar (Upt) | n | 53 | 49 | 30 | |||
| Mean ± SD | 0.49 ± 0.58 | 0.61 ± 0.76 | 0.47 ± 0.57 | >0.9999 | >0.9999 | >0.9999 | |
| Median (Q1/Q3) | 0 (0/1) | 1 (0/1) | 0 (0/1) | ||||
| 95% CI | [0.33–0.65] | [0.39–0.83] | [0.25–0.68] | ||||
| Abnormal (>2.23) | 0 | 1 (2.04%) | 0 | ||||
| Ulnar (Ut) | n | 53 | 49 | 30 | |||
| Mean ± SD | 0.72 ± 0.69 | 0.55 ± 0.68 | 0.57 ± 0.68 | 0.5250 | 0.8864 | >0.9999 | |
| Median (Q1/Q3) | 1 (0/1) | 0 (0/1) | 0 (0/1) | ||||
| 95% CI | [0.53–0.91] | [0.36–0.75] | [0.31–0.82] | ||||
| Abnormal (>2.79) |
0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Common Fibular | n | 53 | 48 | 30 | |||
| Mean ± SD | 0.87 ± 0.68 | 1.60 ± 3.21 | 0.33 ± 0.66 | >0.9999 | 0.0017* | 0.0029* | |
| Median (Q1/Q3) | 1 (0/1) | 1 (0/1,75) | 0 (0/0,25) | ||||
| 95% CI | [0.68–1.06] | [0.67–2.54] | [0.09–0.58] | ||||
| Abnormal (>2.91) | 0 | 4 (8.33%) | 0 | ||||
| Tibial (Tpt) | n | 53 | 49 | 30 | |||
| Mean ± SD | 0.83 ± 0.64 | 1.16 ± 1.20 | 0.47 ± 0.51 | >0.9999 | 0.0665 | 0.0168* | |
| Median (Q1/Q3) | 1 (0/1) | 1 (0/2) | 0 (0/1) | ||||
| 95% CI | [0.65–1.01] | [0.83–1.54] | [0.28–0.66] | ||||
| Abnormal (>2.75) | 0 | 1 (2.04%) | 0 | ||||
| Tibial (Tt) | n | 53 | 49 | 30 | |||
| Mean ± SD | 0.94 ± 0.79 | 1.02 ± 0.95 | 0.73 ± 0.74 | >0.9999 | 0.7977 | 0.5653 | |
| Median (Q1/Q3) | 1 (0/1,5) | 1 (0/1,5) | 1 (0/1) | ||||
| 95% CI | [0.72–1.16] | [0.77–1.35] | [0.46–1.01] | ||||
| Abnormal (>3.31) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
HC = household contacts; n = number of nerves; SD = standard deviation; Q1 = 25th percentile; Q3 = 75th percentile; 95% CI– 95% confidence interval; Abnormal = number of nerves with abnormal measurements and percentages in parentheses; p1 value = healthy volunteers vs. seropositive HC; p2 value = healthy volunteers vs. seronegative HC; p3 value = seropositive HC vs. seronegative HC.
*Statistically significant.