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Evaluation of a Novel Vibration Perception Threshold Instrument
Author(s) -
May Kelsi J.,
Latman Neal S.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.22.1_supplement.708.30
Subject(s) - medicine , gold standard (test) , peripheral , correlation , standard deviation , sensitivity (control systems) , sensory threshold , positive correlation , audiology , psychology , mathematics , statistics , geometry , electronic engineering , engineering , cognitive science
Monitoring peripheral nerve pathology is critical in order to prevent loss of limb or even loss of life. Semmes‐Weinstein (SW) Monofilaments have been the gold standard in non‐invasive peripheral nerve sensitivity monitoring for over forty years. Vibration perception threshold (VPT) instruments have recently been developed as an alternative method of testing peripheral sensitivity, but their measurements exhibit a low correlation with results obtained using the SW monofilaments. One possible reason for this low correlation may be that the current VPT instruments stimulate different receptors than the SW Monofilaments. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a novel VPT instrument, designed to stimulate the same receptors as the SW monofilaments, provides a higher correlation. The two instruments used in this study were the standard SW monofilaments and the novel VPT instrument. Each subject was tested for peripheral sensitivity on the fingertips of their non‐dominant hand using both instruments. The 98 subjects tested ranged in age from 22 to 88 years, with 20% male and 80% female. When analyzed, the SW measurements and novel VPT measurements showed a correlation coefficient of 0.67, significantly greater than the current VPT instruments’ typical correlation of 0.39. The reliability of the VPT measurements demonstrated low intra‐user variability, with an average mean deviation of only 0.3 mV. Therefore, this study indicated that the novel VPT Instrument provides measurements of peripheral nerve sensitivity that have a stronger correlation with SW monofilaments than currently available VPT instruments.