A new principle for assessing vibrotactile sense in vibration-induced neuropathy.
The vibrotactile perception threshold has been evaluated in 20 manual workers not exposed to occupational vibration and in 27 workers using hand-held vibrating tools. Threshold values were evaluated with a Békesy type of vibrometer at frequencies ranging from 8 to 500 Hz. The earliest sign of vibration lesion was a reduction of sensation at frequencies of 125 to 250 Hz, indicating dysfunction in receptors of the fast adapting type II (stage 1 curve), followed in more severe cases by a prominent loss of sensation at all frequencies higher than 65 Hz (stage 2 curve). The stage 3 curve indicated the most severe loss of sensation in which the function of slowly adapting type I receptors, as well as fast adapting type I receptors, was deteriorated; consequently the vibrotactile thresholds at low-, median-, and high-frequency ranges were impaired. The vibrotactile changes corresponded well to numbness and the presence of vibration-induced white finger.
Department of Hand Surgery, Malmö General Hospital, Sweden.
G
G
Lundborg
C
C
Sollerman
T
T
Strömberg
I
I
Pyykkö
B
B
Rosén
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005385:Fingers / Q000294:innervation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D010465:Perception; D012684:Sensory Thresholds; D014732:Vibration / Q000009:adverse effects*