Assessment of Mechanical Detection Thresholds in Healthy Participants and Patients With Neuropathy: A Comparison of OptiHair2 and Aesthesiometer II

IF 3.4 2区医学 Q1 ANESTHESIOLOGY

European Journal of Pain Pub Date : 2025-07-17 DOI:10.1002/ejp.70078

Jan D. Wandrey, Annika Reinecke, Andrea Westermann, Thomas Lücke, Elena Enax-Krumova, Christoph Maier, Jan Vollert, Lynn Eitner

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Abstract

Background

Mechanical detection thresholds (MDTs) are used to assess somatosensory function but can only be evaluated considering the individual sex, age and tested body region. The German Research Network on Neuropathic Pain (DFNS) provides reference values for OptiHair2, a sensitive and expensive glass filament, while nylon filaments such as the Aesthesiometer II are more durable and affordable. In this study, we compare both devices regarding their use for MDT assessment in a variety of participants, thus intending to achieve a higher range for MDT.

Methods

MDTs of healthy children (< 18y), healthy adults (> 18y) and adult patients with symptoms of suspected polyneuropathy were determined using OptiHair2 glass filaments (0.25-512mN) and Aesthesiometer II nylon filaments (0.63–235.36mN), using the method of limits according to the DFNS protocol. Testing was performed on the cheek, hand and foot in healthy participants; patients were tested on the hand and foot only. Concordance Correlation Coefficient (CCC), Pearson correlation and linear regression analysis were performed.

Results

The study included 55 participants (33 female, 30 healthy adults aged 22–62 years, 10 healthy children aged 9–15 years, 15 patients aged 35–86 years). There was a relevant concordance of MDTs between Aesthesiometer II and OptiHair2 at the hand (CCC children = 0.14, healthy adults = 0.56, patients = 0.66) and foot (CCC children = 0.24, healthy adults = 0.66, patients = 0.70) but not on the cheek (CCC children = 0.00, healthy adults = 0.01).

Conclusions

The Aesthesiometer II can be a viable replacement for OptiHair2 in less densely innervated areas like the feet, when screening for polyneuropathy, especially in bedside settings due to its robust materials. However, its stronger lowest force (0.63 vs. 0.25 mN) implicates poorer sensitivity for MDT assessments when testing highly innervated areas like the face.

Significance Statement

This study suggests the use of robust Aesthesiometer II nylon filaments as an alternative to the more fragile OptiHair2 glass filaments for MDT assessments. While we find that only OptiHair2 seems to be suitable for more densely innervated areas like the face, Aesthesiometer II's durability and cost-efficiency make it a useful bedside tool, especially for assessing suspected polyneuropathy in less densely innervated areas like the feet.

Abstract Image

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评估健康参与者和神经病变患者的机械检测阈值：OptiHair2和Aesthesiometer II的比较

机械检测阈值（MDTs）用于评估体感觉功能，但只能考虑个体性别、年龄和被测身体区域。德国神经性疼痛研究网络（DFNS）为OptiHair2提供了参考值，OptiHair2是一种敏感且昂贵的玻璃长丝，而尼龙长丝（如Aesthesiometer II）更耐用且价格合理。在本研究中，我们比较了两种设备在各种参与者中用于MDT评估的情况，从而打算实现更高的MDT范围。方法健康儿童（< 18y）、健康成人（> 18y）和疑似多发性神经病变的成人患者的MDTs采用OptiHair2玻璃丝（0.25-512mN）和Aesthesiometer II尼龙丝（0.63-235.36mN），按照DFNS协议采用限幅法测定。测试在健康参与者的脸颊、手和脚上进行；患者只进行了手脚测试。进行一致性相关系数（CCC）、Pearson相关及线性回归分析。结果共纳入55例受试者，其中女性33例，健康成人30例，年龄22 ~ 62岁，健康儿童10例，年龄9 ~ 15岁，年龄35 ~ 86岁。Aesthesiometer II和OptiHair2的MDTs在手部（CCC儿童= 0.14，健康成人= 0.56，患者= 0.66）和足部（CCC儿童= 0.24，健康成人= 0.66，患者= 0.70）有相关的一致性，但在脸颊（CCC儿童= 0.00，健康成人= 0.01）没有相关的一致性。结论：Aesthesiometer II可以作为OptiHair2的可行替代品，用于神经支配较少的区域，如足部，当筛查多神经病变时，特别是在床边环境中，由于其坚固的材料。然而，其较强的最低力（0.63对0.25 mN）意味着在测试面部等高度神经支配区域时，MDT评估的敏感性较差。本研究建议使用坚固的Aesthesiometer II尼龙长丝作为MDT评估中更脆弱的OptiHair2玻璃长丝的替代品。虽然我们发现只有OptiHair2似乎适合于神经更密集的区域，如面部，但Aesthesiometer II的耐用性和成本效益使其成为有用的床边工具，特别是用于评估神经较少密集区域（如脚）的疑似多发性神经病变。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

European Journal of Pain 医学-临床神经学

CiteScore

7.50

自引率

5.60%

发文量

163

审稿时长

4-8 weeks

期刊介绍： European Journal of Pain (EJP) publishes clinical and basic science research papers relevant to all aspects of pain and its management, including specialties such as anaesthesia, dentistry, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopaedics, palliative care, pharmacology, physiology, psychiatry, psychology and rehabilitation; socio-economic aspects of pain are also covered. Regular sections in the journal are as follows: • Editorials and Commentaries • Position Papers and Guidelines • Reviews • Original Articles • Letters • Bookshelf The journal particularly welcomes clinical trials, which are published on an occasional basis. Research articles are published under the following subject headings: • Neurobiology • Neurology • Experimental Pharmacology • Clinical Pharmacology • Psychology • Behavioural Therapy • Epidemiology • Cancer Pain • Acute Pain • Clinical Trials.