The utility of magnetic stimulation for routine peripheral nerve conduction studies.

The magnetic stimulator was compared with percutaneous electrical stimulation for activation of the median nerve at the wrist in four volunteers. Magnetic stimulation was unable to achieve supramaximal stimulation without activation of the ulnar nerve. The point of nerve depolarization could not be reliably estimated from the relationship of the stimulator head to the nerve. We conclude that the magnetic stimulator coil is as yet not suitable for routine electrodiagnostic use in the peripheral nervous system.