BOOK REVIEW

Electromyography and Neuromuscular Disorders:

Clinical-Electrophysiologic Correlations, 2nd edition

by David C. Preston and Barbara E. Shapiro, 685 pp., ill.,

Philadelphia, Elsevier Butterworth Heinemann, 2005, $155.00
As a keen fan of the rst edition of this book, I was
delighted to have the opportunity to review this new edition. As in the previous edition, this one starts with an
overview of techniques for electromyography (EMG) and
nerve conduction studies. Directions for testing various
nerves are given in outline form. The proper placement of
the recording and stimulating electrodes is depicted in
large photographs using human models. Also included is
an EMG atlas complete with photographs of limbs, with
black dots denoting the proper needle insertion points.
This section of the book serves as a very practical handbook for the trainee electrophysiologist.
There follows a series of chapters focused on common
neuromuscular disease entities (e.g., median neuropathy
at the wrist). Each chapter begins with a concise review of
the important clinical features followed by a discussion of
the authors favored electrodiagnostic workup. Tables in
each chapter summarize the recommended electrodiagnostic protocols, and serve as handy reference tools for the
busy electromyographer. Areas of the text have been expanded, prompting the authors to split a number of the

2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Book Review

old chapters. For example, ulnar neuropathy has been

broken into separate chapters on lesions at the elbow and
wrist. Every chapter makes use of multiple large, clear
gures that serve to reinforce the text. At the end of every
chapter, several clinical scenarios are presented complete
with electrodiagnostic data, and the reader is expected to
arrive at the correct diagnosis. After each case, the answer
is given and potentially confusing aspects of the case are
discussed.
Included with the text is a CD-based EMG waveform
tutorial. It is formatted to run on either Windows or
Macintosh computers. Some of the other tutorials on the
market have more sophisticated features, such as the capability to run different waveforms simultaneously, but this
tutorial is perfectly adequate in itself.
Preston and Shapiro achieve an equitable balance between clinical discussions and reviews of electrodiagnostic
approaches. What separates their effort from many of their
competitors is their concise, practical writing style that
seems honed from interacting with students. This book is
an ideal resource for the trainee in electrophysiology; the
clarity of the presentation and logical organization of the
text will make it a highly useful and well-used resource for
more experienced electromyographers as well.
Jeffrey W. Ralph, MD
Published online 24 October 2005 in Wiley InterScience
(www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mus.20447

MUSCLE & NERVE

January 2006

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