Manual of Nerve Conduction Velocity and Clinical Neurophysiology, 3d ed.

The authors state in the preface that "... this manual will help physicians who are in electrodiagnosis training and electromyographers who are in practice to develop consistent techniques for performing motor and sensory nerve velocity latency studies, as well as repetitive stimulation of motor nerves." It is unfortunate that many of the chapters in this book dealing with motor and sensory nerve testing are neither consistent in technical format nor comprehensive in presentation.

The book consists of 17 chapters. Chapters 1 through 10 are reformatted material from the 1987 second edition. The first 10 chapters are organized beginning with general nerve conduction information, followed by chapters on testing the cranial nerves, the cervical plexus, the upper-extremity nerves, the intercostal nerves, the lower-extremity nerves, the late responses and reflexes, and conclude with conducting repetitive stimulation studies and performing nerve conduction studies of premature infants, infants, and children. These chapters appear better organized in the third edition when compared with previous versions of this book. There are, however, numerous inconsistencies between the text and the figures. The text describes anatomic landmarks and electrode positions that are not shown in the figures or that are erroneously displayed in the figures. These inconsistencies and the lack of standardization were a problem in previous editions, and they have not been corrected in the third edition. The figures vary in size and quality, and they lack clarity and completeness. Chapter 8, "Motor Nerve Conduction Velocity Studies in Premature Infants, Infants, and Children," has been expanded. A section on transbrachial plexus potentials has been added to the chapter on somatosensory evoked potential.

The seven new chapters in this edition are entitled: "Movement-Related Potentials," "Intraoperative Monitoring Using Somatosensory Evoked Potentials," "Auditory and Visual Evoked Potentials," "Magnetoelectric Stimulation," "Motor Unit Action Potential Analysis," "Single Fiber Electromyography," and "Anatomy." Chapter 11, "Movement-Related Potentials (MRPs)," is five pages in length and could have been left out of the manual, because the clinical significance of MRPs remains questionable as the intersubject and intra-subject variability continue to be large. Chapters 12 and 13 are on intraoperative monitoring and auditory/visual evoked potentials and are adequate procedural reviews. Chapter 14, "Magnetoelectric Stimulation," provides general guidelines, safety precautions, and stimulation protocols for peripheral nerve and transcranial stimulation to muscles of the upper and lower extremities. Manual users should note that at the time this book was published in the United States, cortical magnetoelectric stimulation was approved only under research protocols. Therefore, the general clinical applicability of these testing procedures should be weighed carefully against the potential risks involved with magnetoelectric stimulation and testing. Chapters 15 and 16 deal with motor unit analysis and single fiber electromyography and are noteworthy due to their brevity and conciseness. Chapter 17, "Anatomy," presents rudimentary information on segmental innervation of muscles, cervical and lumbosacral plexus, and peripheral cutaneous nerve distributions. The glossary of terms used in clinical electromyography and the bibliography sections at the end of the book are useful references.

Physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, and physical therapy educators will find this book of limited value. Novices in the field of clinical electromyography may find this book confusing as they attempt to master basic nerve conduction velocity testing procedures.