[Physical diagnostics--tendon reflexes].
Clinical examination of the tendon reflexes is helpful in localising lesions in the nervous system, which is an important step in the diagnosis of neurological disorders. The large intra- and interindividual variations of reflex amplitudes make interpretation difficult. Published interobserver agreement studies provide conflicting results. The diagnostic specificity of unequivocally abnormal reflexes is moderate to good (70-95%, decreasing with increasing age), but the sensitivity is lower (50-70%), both for peripheral and for central lesions. This implies that the finding of a clearly abnormal reflex pattern is often helpful, but the finding of normal reflexes usually does not exclude a neurological lesion.
Stam
J
J
Afd. Neurologie, Academisch Medisch Centrum/Universiteit van Amsterdam.
D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009460:Neurologic Examination / Q000379:methods*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012026:Reflex, Stretch / Q000502:physiology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity