Quantitative clinical electrophysiology in the evaluation of nerve injury and regeneration

Neuromuscular electrophysiological techniques can provide clinically important information about the localization, severity, and pathophysiology of peripheral nerve injuries, and about the progress of reinnervation. The relevant variables for study are compound nerve and muscle action potentials, motor unit action potentials, and denervation potentials. Available methods do not permit meaningful quantitation of regeneration. Newer methods under development attempt to estimate the number of motor units in a muscle and the number of axons in a nerve.