Introduction Sensory impairment in Friedreich’s ataxia (FRDA) is generally accepted as being due to a ganglionopathy. The degree of contribution from axonal pathology remains a matter of debate. Nerve ultrasound may be able to differentiate these processes. Methods The ultrasound cross-sectional area of median, ulnar, tibial and sural nerves of 8 patients with FRDA was compared with 8 age- and gender-matched healthy controls and with reference values in our population. Results The nerves of the patients with FRDA were significantly larger than healthy controls’ at all upper limb sites ( p 0.05 ) but not significantly different in the lower limbs. Conclusion Our findings add further weight to the theory that dorsal root ganglionopathy is not the sole cause of peripheral sensory loss in FRDA. Peripheral neuropathic processes are likely to also play a role.
