The 'Ten Test': application and limitations in assessing sensory function in the paediatric hand.
BACKGROUND
The Ten Test, first described in 1997 by Strauch et al., is a simple, rapid, reliable and sensitive method to evaluate hand sensibility in adults. In this study, we validated its use in children.


METHODS
We asked patients to rate sensibility elicited by a light moving touch on the palmar surface of digits in reference to sensibility elicited by the same touch in a digit confirmed as normal.


RESULTS
A total of 73 subjects (age range: 1-12 years) were tested. Patients under age 5 years were significantly less likely to complete the test. The kappa statistic for the Ten Test in nine subjects, each tested separately by two examiners, demonstrated very strong inter-observer reliability (kappa=1.0, p<0.003).


CONCLUSIONS
The Ten Test is a simple, validated, non-threatening method to evaluate hand sensibility in children and adolescents. We recommend its clinical use in patients age 5 years and older.
Sun
Hank H
HH
Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, USA.
Oswald
Tanya M
TM
Sachanandani
Neil S
NS
Borschel
Gregory H
GH
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006225:Hand / Q000294:innervation*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D009460:Neurologic Examination / Q000379:methods*; D015588:Observer Variation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012678:Sensation Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology*