Thirty-eight patients (ASA class I-III), scheduled for hand or forearm surgery, were randomly assigned to either the paresthesia or nerve stimulator group. After injection of 5.5 mg/kg of 1% mepivacaine, motor and sensory function was evaluated by testing over the distribution of the three major nerve trunks in the hand. The results showed that the overall success rate in the paresthesia group, when paresthesia could be elicited, was 82%. The success rate in the stimulator group was 75%. There was no statistical difference between the two groups. It appears that both techniques are equally effective and predictable.
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McClain et al. (1987) studied this question.