Usefulness of the manual dexterity impairment screening test using the Purdue Pegboard Test in cervical spondylotic myelopathy

Abstract

This study examined the usefulness of the Purdue Pegboard Test (PPT) for manual dexterity in cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) patients. We investigated the relationship between PPT and other functional evaluations by evaluating the Simple Test for Evaluating Hand Function, the 10-second test, grip strength, and the Japanese Orthopedic Association criteria for cervical myelopathy in 41 patients with CSM. In addition, the PPT cut-off value for manual dexterity was examined. A strong correlation was found between the PPT and other functional evaluations. The cut-off value for discriminating manual dexterity impairment was 25.5 (pieces), AUC=0.77, sensitivity=0.96, and specificity=0.56. PPT is considered to be a useful test for CSM that can be performed in a short time. In addition, although it is necessary to consider the false-positive rate for the cut-off value, the results suggest that it can be used as a screening test in CSM patients.