Ya'ish F M M, Cooper J P, Craigen M A C
Trauma & Orthopaedic Department, University Hospital Birmingham, UK.
J Bone Joint Surg Br. 2007 Jul;89(7):933-9. doi: 10.1302/0301-620X.89B7.18968.
The diagnosis of nerve injury using thermotropic liquid crystal temperature strips was compared blindly and prospectively against operative findings in 36 patients requiring surgical exploration for unilateral upper limb lacerations with suspected nerve injury. Thermotropic liquid crystal strips were applied to affected and non-affected segments in both hands in all subjects. A pilot study showed that a simple unilateral laceration without nerve injury results in a cutaneous temperature difference between limbs, but not within each limb. Thus, for detection of a nerve injury, comparison was made against the unaffected nerve distribution in the same hand. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that an absolute temperature difference > or = 1.0 degrees C was diagnostic of a nerve injury (area under the curve = 0.985, sensitivity = 100%, specificity = 93.8%). Thermotropic liquid crystal strip assessment is a new, reliable and objective method for the diagnosis of traumatic peripheral nerve injuries. If implemented in the acute setting, it could improve the reliability of clinical assessment and reduce the number of negative surgical explorations.
采用热致液晶温度条对36例因单侧上肢撕裂伤伴疑似神经损伤而需手术探查的患者进行神经损伤诊断，并将其与手术结果进行了前瞻性盲法比较。在所有受试者的双手受影响和未受影响的部位均应用了热致液晶条。一项初步研究表明，单纯的无神经损伤的单侧撕裂伤会导致双侧肢体皮肤温度存在差异，但同一肢体内部不会出现这种情况。因此，为了检测神经损伤，将其与同一只手未受影响的神经分布区域进行比较。受试者工作特征曲线分析表明，绝对温差≥1.0℃可诊断为神经损伤（曲线下面积=0.985，灵敏度=100%，特异性=93.8%）。热致液晶条评估是一种用于诊断创伤性周围神经损伤的新的、可靠且客观的方法。如果在急性期实施，它可以提高临床评估的可靠性，并减少阴性手术探查的次数。
