Background and Objectives: Few studies address the impact of physician attire on ratings of personality characteristics in the presence of varied physician demographic characteristics (gender, racial/ethnic background). Even fewer have examined the boundaries of acceptable physician attire, given recent loosening of societal standards of dress. Methods: Using an online survey methodology, adult participants (N=505; 45% medical professionals) were recruited. Participants rated target photos depicting a male and female individual from three ethnic/racial categories each dressed in business casual (with and without a white coat) or in professional attire (with and without a white coat) on a number of personality characteristics. General willingness to have physicians wear certain apparel items was also queried, as was the importance/acceptability of specific clothing items and appearance choices. Responses were analyzed by gender, age, ethnicity, and profession of respondent. Results: Both business casual and professional attire were rated highly. A name tag had the highest ratings for importance of wear. The results for wearing a white coat were not as consistent as earlier studies as physicians were perceived as warmer and kinder when not wearing a lab coat, particularly with professional attire. However, female Caucasian physicians were rated most positively when wearing a lab coat. Consistent with previous studies, attire that was too casual (jeans, t-shirts) was rated negatively. Conclusions: The current study supports the notion that rules of attire are changing, even in the physician’s office. Name tags were perceived to be crucial in medical settings, and casual clothing should be avoided. Despite often being considered a defining component of a physician’s “uniform,” the white lab coat may not be a universal positive and perhaps even a negative for some physicians.

S Su um mm ma ar ry yLumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is a narrowing of the spinal canal and/or the neuroforamina through which the spinal cord roots enter and exit. The symptoms of LSS usually begin over the course of several months and include neurogenic claudication. This is characterized by low back pain that radiates down one or both legs producing pain or weakness. LSS can be quite debilitating and can have a profound negative effect on one's activities of daily living and overall quality of life. Imaging studies, such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are routinely performed in the work-up of suspected LSS. In recent years, there has been much controversy over the actual clinical usefulness of these studies. When compared to electrodiagnostic studies, CT and MRI have been shown to have increased false negative and false positive rates. Electrodiagnostic studies show dynamic physiological neural function and has become a valuable tool in LSS. This information can be used to determine the location and severity of LSS, differentiate LSS from other conditions, and monitor the progression. Electrodiagnostic techniques such as somatosensory evoked potentials, dermatomal somatosensory evoked potentials (DSEPs), and paraspinal mapping (PM) increase both the sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing LSS. DSEPs provide useful information on multi-level, multiple rootlet disease. PM reflects the physiology of nerve roots and has been found to be superior to extremity needle EMG. Electrodiagnostic techniques are becoming the standard in the diagnosis and therapeutic decisions for LSS and other related diseases.Turk J Phys Med Rehab 2010;56:75-80. K Ke ey y W Wo or rd ds s: : Lumbar spinal stenosis, electrodiagnosis, low back pain, lumbar radiculopathy, paraspinal mapping Ö Öz ze et t Spinal kanalda ya da sinir köklerinin geçti¤i nöral foramenlerde daralma lomber spinal stenoz (LSS) olarak adland›r›l›r. LSS yaflam kalitesini belirgin derecede etkileyip engellili¤e neden olabilir. LSS'nin belirtileri aylar içinde ortaya ç›kar. Nörojenik klodikasyon, tek ya da her iki alt ekstremiteye yay›lan bel a¤r›s› ve güçsüzlük LSS'nin semptomlar› aras›nda say›labilir. LSS düflünülen olgularda bilgisayarl› tomografi (BT) ve manyetik rezonans görüntüleme (MRG) gibi yöntemler rutin olarak kullan›lmaktad›r. Fakat bu tetkiklerin LSS tan›s›na katk›s› ile ilgili tart›flma-lar giderek artmaktad›r. Elektrodiagnostik çal›flmalarla karfl›laflt›r›ld›-¤›nda BT ve MRG'nin yalanc› negatif ve yalanc› pozitiflikleri daha fazlad›r. Nöral fonksiyonlar›n gerçek zamanl› durumunu ortaya koyan elektrodiagnostik incelemeler LSS'de oldukça yararl›d›r. Elektrodiagnoz ayr›ca, LSS'nin lokalizasyonu ve fliddeti konusunda bilgi verir; hastal›¤›n ay›r›c› tan›s›nda ve progresyonunun takibinde de yararl›d›r. Somatosensoriyel uyand›r›lm›fl potansiyeller, dermatomal somatosensoriyel uyand›r›lm›fl potansiyeller (DSEP) ve paraspinal haritalama (PH) gibi elektrodiagnostik teknikler LSS tan›s›nda duyarl›l›k ve özgüllü¤ü artt›rmak-tad›r. DSEP,...