Electrodiagnostic medicine

Electrodiagnostic testing examines the physiologic integrity of the peripheral nervous system. However, such testing should represent only one part of an electrodiagnostic consultation in which the entire clinical context, including the history, physical examination, laboratory studies, and electrodiagnostic testing, is considered as a whole. Although each electrodiagnostic laboratory establishes its own normal values for nerve conduction studies and needle EMG, these values should not be used in isolation. The electrodiagnostic consultation can help narrow an otherwise broad differential diagnosis, confirm a suspected diagnosis, or help define a confusing clinical picture.