Abstract
Objectives
To comprehend the merits of a Manual Tactile Test (MTT) in assessing hand sensorimotor
functions by exploring the relations among 3 subtests along with the precision pinch
performances for patients with peripheral nerve injuries (PNIs); and to understand
the accuracy of the MTT by constructing the sensitivity and specificity of the test
for patients with PNI.
Design
Case-control study.
Setting
Hospital and local community.
Participants
Patients with PNI (n=28) were recruited along with age-, sex-, and handedness-matched
healthy controls (n=28) (N=56).
Interventions
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures
The Semmes-Weinstein monofilament, moving and static 2-point discrimination, roughness
differentiation, stereognosis and barognosis subtests of the MTT, and precision pinch
performance were used to examine the sensory and sensorimotor status of the hand.
Results
The worst results in all sensibility tests were found for the patients with PNI (P<.001) in comparison with the controls. Multiple linear regression analysis showed
the MTT was a better indicator for predicting the sensorimotor capacity of hands in
the patients with PNI (r2=.189, P=.003) than the traditional test (r2=.088, P=.051). The results of the receiver operating characteristic curve estimation show
that the area under the curve was .968 and .959 for the roughness differentiation
and stereognosis subtests, respectively, and .853 for the barognosis subtest, therefore
revealing the accuracy of the MTT in assessing sensorimotor status for patients with
PNI.
Conclusions
This study indicates that the MTT is highly accurate and a significant predictor of
sensorimotor performance in hands of patients with PNI. The MTT could therefore help
clinicians obtain a better understanding of the sensorimotor and functional status
of the hand with nerve injuries.
Keywords
List of abbreviations:
AUC (area under the curve), M2PD (moving 2-point discrimination), MTT (Manual Tactile Test), PHUA (pinch-holding-up activity), PNI (peripheral nerve injury), ROC (receiver operating characteristic), S2PD (static 2-point discrimination), SWM (Semmes-Weinstein monofilament examination)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 29, 2016
Footnotes
Supported by the National Science Council, Taiwan (grant nos. NSC 94-2314-B-006-104 and NSC 99-2627-B-006-012).
Clinical Trial Registration No.: ER-98-195.
Disclosures: none.
Identification
Copyright
© 2016 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine
