Instrumentation for measurement of sensory loss in the fingertips.

Four aesthesiometers measuring fingertip sensation were fabricated, two for depth-sense perception and two for two-point discrimination. With the use of 20 normal subjects (10 female and 10 male) and seven subjects with vasospastic disturbance (three female and four male) comparisons were made to determine which of each pair of instruments was the more sensitive. The results indicated that instrument A is preferable to B in measuring depth-sense perception, and C is preferable to D in measuring two-point discrimination. Females appear to have more acute sensory perception than males. Female and male patients diagnosed as having "Raynaud's disease" show a loss in fingertip sensory perception.