title: An assessment of vibration threshold using a biothesiometer compared to a C128-Hz tuning fork.
abstract: A standardised method of assessment of vibration threshold (VT), with a C128-Hz tuning fork (TF), was compared to VT measured with a biothesiometer in normal patients free of neurological disease at four separate bony points. The biothesiometer is more accurate compared to a timed tuning fork. The accuracy of both declined with patient age, however, especially for patients older than 50years. The longer the nerve tested, the greater the age-related decline. The C128-Hz tuning fork, provided consistently applied, may be meaningfully employed at the thumb or hallux proximal nail fold to assess VT-TF at the bedside, but remains less able to discriminate VT at all ages.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Royal Adelaide Hospital and University of Adelaide, Faculty of Health Sciences, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia. james.temlett@adelaide.edu.au
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Temlett
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand / Q000294:innervation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009460:Neurologic Examination / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D011601:Psychophysics / Q000295:instrumentation; D012684:Sensory Thresholds / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014732:Vibration; D055815:Young Adult