Quantitative sensory testing in patients with incomplete spinal cord injury.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the utility of quantitative sensory testing (QST) to characterize sensory dysfunction in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI).


METHODS
Perceptual thresholds to warm, cold, cold pain, and vibratory stimuli were investigated using a modified method of "limits."


METHODS
Three QST trials were administered to six lower leg dermatomes, on two different days, to estimate the reliability of measurement.


METHODS
Regional Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Center in Ontario, Canada.


METHODS
Twenty-one SCI patients with incomplete neurologic deficits and 14 able-bodied controls of similar age.


RESULTS
ANOVA revealed significantly (p < .05) reduced perceptual threshold values (hypoesthesia) for warm, cold, and vibratory sensation in the SCI group. There were no differences between group mean values for cold pain because of the inclusion of patients with hypoalgesia and hyperalgesia. Intraclass correlation coefficient estimates of reliability revealed large between-subject variability in the SCI patients associated with relatively small trial-to-trial variability within each day of testing, and appreciable between-day variances.


CONCLUSIONS
With QST in SCI there is a need for repeated measurements across days to establish stable baseline measures or outcomes following intervention. QST is a useful adjunct to clinical examination for assessment of preserved sensation.
Krassioukov
A
A
Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Parkwood Hospital/St. Joseph's Health Centre, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.
Wolfe
D L
DL
Hsieh
J T
JT
Hayes
K C
KC
Durham
C E
CE
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003080:Cold Temperature; D003936:Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010812:Physical Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012684:Sensory Thresholds; D020886:Somatosensory Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000150:complications*; D014732:Vibration