Neurology & Pain Management Coding Alert

Your neurologist will use nerve conduction studies (NCS) to test the function and electrical conduction of the motor and sensory nerves. The nerve is stimulated by an electrode and the conduction time (latency) is measured by another electrode placed at another point on the nerve. The amplitude of response is also recorded.

Note: The CPT® descriptors for NCS codes mention the recording of both latency/velocity and amplitude.

When your physician does 'F-wave study,' it implies that supramaximal stimulation of a motor nerve was done and action potentials were recorded from a muscle supplied by the nerve. This helps determine the time for the electrical stimulation to travel from the nerve in the limb, to the spine, and back to the nerve again.

Tip: The F-wave study helps determine the conduction velocity of the nerve between the limb and spine. Motor and sensory nerve conduction studies, by contrast, help to determine the conduction velocity in a segment of nerve in the limb.