Semir Mazman, Yeliz Kiyak Keçeli, Gülcan Göçmez Yilmaz
Neurological Sciences and Neurophysiology - 2025;42(3):135-139
Background: Earthquakes are natural disasters that can cause serious mortality and morbidity. Peripheral nerve injuries caused by earthquakes are one of the most important causes of disability among injured earthquake survivors. We aimed to evaluate the electrophysiologic results of survivors with peripheral nerve injury of Kahramanmaras earthquake on February 6, 2023. Materials and Methods: Electrophysiologic evaluations of the nerves were performed by an experienced neurophysiologist. The relationship between the patient's age, sex, and duration under the debris and the localization, distribution, and severity of nerve damage was evaluated. Results: A total of 97 patients, 55 females and 42 males, were included in our study. The grade of injury was severe in 76 (78%) patients, moderate in 18 (19%), and mild in three (3%) patients. The majority of patients had multiple nerve injuries in the upper and/or lower extremities. The most frequently affected nerve was the peroneal nerve. Severe nerve damage was more common in males, older people, and those who stayed under the debris for a long time. A duration of >9 h under the debris was found to demonstrate 71.05% (sensitivity) and 71.43% (specificity) for the prediction of severe nerve injury risk (area under the curve: 0.753, 95% confidence interval: 0.655-0.835; P < 0.001). Conclusion: The severity of nerve damage increased in correlation with the age of the patients and the duration of stay under the debris.
