COMPARISON OF 2 TECHNIQUES TO MEASURE THE MOTOR-NERVE CONDUCTION-VELOCITY DISTRIBUTION

Hopf's technique to measure the distribution of motor nerve conduction velocities (DMCV) has been compared with the technique introduced by Ingram et al. in the peroneal nerve of 28 healthy subjects aged 41.2 ( S.D. 8.4) years. Twenty subjects were examined twice. Both techniques yielded an equal DMCV and equally reproducible results. Group mean vel ocities for the slowest examined (MNCV95) motor nerve fibres were 39.0 m/sec (S.D. 3.3) for Ingram's technique and 38.6 (S.D. 3.6) for Hopf' s technique. The conventional MNCV was always slower than the velocity of the 5% fastest fibres estimated from the DMCV. Ingram's technique may have a number of merits which may have been obscured by measuremen t in the peroneal nerve, which may be of advantage in shorter nerve se gments or faster nerve fibres. On the basis of our data in the peronea l nerve of healthy subjects no preference can be given for either of t he techniques.