Comparison of the sympathetic skin response and continuous wave Doppler sonography of the radial artery.

The value of neurophysiological tests of the autonomic nerve system is limited. One of the clinically most commonly applied test is the skin sudomotor response, frequently referred to as 'sympathetic skin response' (SSR). However, the SSR is a more qualitative than quantitative evaluation technique. Continuous wave (cw) Doppler sonography of the radial artery may be an alternative quantitative approach. We studied 41 age matched volunteers (23 female, 18 male; 16-82 years (mean age 53 years)). The stimulus was a loud and unexpected acoustic signal, alternatively a cough. SSR evaluation included the latency of onset, the duration and the amplitude of the response. Doppler evaluation also inc…