[The clinical evaluation of tactile sensation in entrapment neuropathy using detection threshold of vibrotactile stimuli].
Two mechanoreceptive units, the rapidly adapting unit (RA unit) and the Pacinian corpuscle unit (PC unit), play an important role in the sensibility of the hand. It has been shown that detection thresholds of vibrotactile stimuli directly reflect the neural activity of the RA unit (in cases of stimulation below 50 Hz) and the PC unit (in cases of stimulation above 50 Hz). We applied this psychophysical approach to a clinical evaluation of tactile sensation in entrapment neuropathy. The detection thresholds of sinusoidal stimuli (25, 50, 100, 200, 300 Hz) were measured in 11 cases of carpal tunnel and 8 cases of cubital tunnel syndrome. By comparing the threshold curve of affected fingers with that of normal ones we were able to determine the severity of sensory disturbance. It was assumed that the PC unit was selectively disturbed in the early stages of the disease and that the RA unit was also disturbed in advanced stages.
Murata
H
H
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Shizuoka, Japan.
Miyaoka
T
T
D000328:Adult; D004056:Differential Threshold; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008465:Mechanoreceptors / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009408:Nerve Compression Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D012677:Sensation; D014732:Vibration