Clinical electroneurography: statistical analysis of controlled measures in twenty-two normal subjects

Electroneurography, an objective electrophysiologic measurement of a muscle compound action potential, is used to assess the integrity of a peripheral motor nerve. This paper describes how to perform electroneurography with particular attention to control of patient and instrumentation variables. Twenty-two normal adult subjects were tested in a balanced, designed experiment. The resultant average difference between the right and left halves of the face was not significant. The standard deviation of this difference was divided into three components: test-retest daily, and intersubject. The data suggest that the most significant source of error in electroneurography is test-retest variability (p less than 0.05) and that repeated and averaged measures on a given patient will increase the precision of the test. As further understanding and experience are gained, electroneurography measurements should be interpreted in light of clinical findings and more traditional tests.