title: F wave to height or limb length ratios as rational alternatives for F wave latency in clinical electrodiagnostic medicine.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To delineate the F wave latency/height (F min/He) or F wave latency/limb length (F min/L) ratio as a more useful alternative for the currently reported shortest latency in milliseconds.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and sixty-six healthy volunteers, 85 upper limbs and 84 lower limbs entered the study. Minimum F wave latencies were determined in median, ulnar, tibial and peroneal nerves. The F min/He and F min/L ratios of each nerve were calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  F latencies of all nerves had significant correlation with height and limb length but there was no correlation between either F min/He or F min/L and height in any nerve except for peroneal F min/He (p = 0.04, r = 0.23).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using the F min/He or F min/L ratios are more accurate than reporting only the F wave minimum latency, since these ratios incorporate corrections for height and/or limb length. This method also eliminates the false positive and negative reports caused by using a single reference table for all heights.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A unique reference table can be produced using the F min/He or F min/L for all populations and races, so that the comparison between different population samples can be done easily. Also data of different investigations can be pooled together for meta-analysis purposes when a single reference table is used for different samples.
authors.affiliation: Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran. hm_rehab@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Hooman
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mahmoudi
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Salehi
authors.forename: Kamran
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Azma
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Rezasoltani
authors.forename: Mohammadreza
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Omidzohour
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D004568:Electrodiagnosis / Q000379:methods*; D005121:Extremities / Q000294:innervation* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008475:Median Nerve / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010543:Peroneal Nerve / Q000502:physiology; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology*; D013979:Tibial Nerve / Q000502:physiology; D014459:Ulnar Nerve / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult