Development of the Complex Examination Device for QST in Medical Institutions

Abstract

In medical institutions, it is an issue how quantitative sensory testing (QST) is conducted. Authors have been studied to develop the complex typed inspection device for inspecting the sense of vibration and sense of temperature. Stimulus probe for sense of temperature is configured by a Peltier element. Using the prototype of the stimulus probe, we tested for how patients suspected of having a sensory impairment and healthy subjects felt the stimulus. Comparing that patients and healthy subjects, the proportion of that patients could detect correctly was revealed lower than healthy subjects at each temperature. To generate the same stimulus as a tuning fork for using in the examination of sense of vibration, we have devised a vibration stimulus probe that combines an electromagnetic coil and an elastic material. As results of experiments, the prototype device was able to generate a vibration force of nearly equal to the tuning fork.