Nerve conduction velocity (NCV)

Nerve conduction velocity (NCV) tests involve direct stimulation to initiate an

impulse in motor or sensorynerves. The conduction time is measured by recording
theevoked potential either from the muscle innervated by themotor nerve or from
the sensory nerve itself. NCV canbe tested on any peripheral nerve that is
superficialenough to be stimulated through the skin at two differentpoints. The most
commonly tested motor nervesare the ulnar, median, fibular (peroneal), tibial,
radial,femoral, and sciatic nerves. Commonly tested sensorynerves include the
median, ulnar, radial, sural, andsuperficial fibular nerves.

Motor Nerve Conduction Velocity Testing

Because a peripheral nerve trunk houses both sensoryand motor fibers, recording
potentials directly from aperipheral nerve makes monitoring of purely sensoryor
motor nerves impossible. Therefore, to isolate thepotentials conducted by motor
axons of a mixed nerve,the evoked potential is recorded from a distal
muscleinnervated by the nerve under study. Although thestimulation of the nerve
will evoke sensory and motorimpulses, only the motor fibers contribute to the
contractionof the muscle. For example, to test the ulnarnerve, the test muscle is
typically the abductor digitiminimi. Other examples are the following: for themedian
nerve, the abductor pollicis brevis; for thefibular nerve, the extensor digitorum
brevis; and forthe tibial nerve, the abductor hallicus or abductordigiti minimi.
Small surface electrodes are usually used to record theevoked potential from the
test muscle. The recording electrodeis placed over the belly of the test muscle and
a reference electrode is taped over the tendon of the muscle.