Premium
The influence of the reference electrode on CMAP configuration: Leg nerve observations and an alternative reference site
Author(s) -
Brashear Allison,
Kincaid John C.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
muscle and nerve
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.025
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 1097-4598
pISSN - 0148-639X
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-4598(199601)19:1<63::aid-mus8>3.0.co;2-6
Subject(s) - compound muscle action potential , muscle belly , tendon , tibial nerve , anatomy , electrophysiology , medicine , stimulation
Peroneal and tibial compound motor action potentials (CMAP) recorded using the standard belly‐tendon montage have different configurations. The peroneal CMAP is a smooth dome shape, while the tibial CMAP has a slow‐rising initial component followed by a higher amplitude negative peak. To evaluate possible causes of these differences, we investigated the individual activity recordable at the belly and tendon electrodes by using a referential montage with the opposite foot as the reference. This type recording shows that the peroneal belly site produces most of the nerve CMAP, whereas the tendon site generates most of the high tibial CMAP. Some features and technical problems of referential CMAP recording using an opposite limb reference are shown. An alternative method using an ipsilateral distal leg reference site is described. A montage which separately records the activity at the belly or tendon electrodes may provide new insight into mechanisms of commonly observed nerve conduction phenomena. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.