Cohen Jeffrey A., Mowchun Justin J., Lawson Victoria H., Robbins Nathaniel M. Peripheral nerve and muscle disease

Oxford University Press, 2017. — 223 p. — ISBN: 9780190491918.I am very grateful that Oxford University Press asked us to do a revised edition of What Do I Do Now? Peripheral Nerve and Muscle Disease. We were all pleased that the first printing received such a positive response. Neurology is still inscrutable to many physicians. Examination and localization are still important facets of the practice of neurology. Especially in neuromuscular diseases, the answer cannot always be ascertained with testing (e.g., nerve conduction studies/ EMG). Genetic testing has certainly given the physician more precision in the diagnosis of genetic neuromuscular diseases such as myotonic dystrophy or Charcot- Marie- Tooth neuropathy type 1. Better antibody testing has also helped us in the diagnosis of autoimmune disorders such as multifocal motor neuropathy and Myasthenia Gravis. Despite all of these advances, the rational approach in the practice of neurology still involves the process of obtaining a complete history, performing a competent neurological examination, and ordering the correct testing based on one’s best clinical judgment. I enjoy teaching my medical students, residents, and fellows about neuromuscular diseases because I feel the process in coming to a tentative diagnosis, ordering the appropriate diagnostic testing, and forming a rational therapeutic plan reinforces the critical thinking that we all must use in medicine. So after 35 years of doing neuromuscular medicine I have tried my best in this edition to use the skills and pearls I have learned from my teachers: Morris Bender, Peter Dyck Phil Low, and Tony Windebank. They taught me how to approach very difficult clinical problems with clarity of thought.