Discrepancies between Clinical Assessments of Sensory Function and Electrical Perceptual Thresholds after Incomplete Chronic Cervical Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal Cord, 2016 · DOI: 10.1038/sc.2015.104 · Published: January 1, 2016

Spinal Cord Injury Neurology Neurorehabilitation

Simple Explanation

This study compares two methods of assessing sensory function in people with chronic incomplete cervical spinal cord injury (SCI): the standard clinical assessment (ISNCSCI) and a more sensitive test called electrical perceptual threshold (EPT). The EPT test measures the lowest level of electrical stimulation a person can feel on their skin. The study found that the EPT test often detected sensory function in areas where the standard clinical assessment did not. This suggests the EPT is a more sensitive tool for assessing sensory recovery after SCI. The findings highlight the potential of EPT to provide a more detailed understanding of sensory impairments and recovery in individuals with chronic SCI.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

17 participants with SCI and 32 healthy controls

Evidence Level

Prospective experimental

Key Findings

1
EPT values were higher in older males compared with younger males and older females in healthy controls.
2
In the majority of SCI participants, the EPT sensory level was found several segments below the ISNCSCI sensory level.
3
The difference between EPT and ISNCSCI scores was negatively correlated with the time post injury.

Research Summary

The study compared sensory function assessment using ISNCSCI and EPT in individuals with chronic incomplete cervical SCI and healthy controls. Results showed that EPT revealed spared sensory function at lower spinal segments compared to ISNCSCI in SCI participants. The findings suggest EPT is a more sensitive tool for assessing sensory recovery after chronic SCI, with differences between EPT and ISNCSCI decreasing over time post-injury.

Practical Implications

Improved Sensory Assessment

EPT can be used as a more sensitive tool to assess sensory function in individuals with chronic cervical SCI, providing a more accurate representation of spared sensory function.

Enhanced Clinical Trials

The use of EPT in clinical trials can provide more detailed outcome measurements of sensory function, leading to a better understanding of treatment effects and recovery processes.

Personalized Rehabilitation

EPT can help tailor rehabilitation strategies by identifying specific areas of spared sensory function, allowing for more targeted interventions to improve sensorimotor function.

Study Limitations

1
Small sample size of SCI participants.
2
Potential differences in sensory fibers targeted by EPT and ISNCSCI.
3
Lack of longitudinal data to examine EPTs in the acute and chronic phases of SCI.

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