Hand function and tactile perception in a sample of children with myelomeningocele.

The purpose of this investigation were to study the relationships between hand function abilities and tactile perception, and the level of spinal cord lesion and status of hydrocephalus in a sample of 17 children with myelomeningocele. Fourteen children showed impaired hand function, and eight showed tactile dysfunction. Statiscally significant differences in hand function scores and graphesthesia scores were obtained for children with increased severity of hydrocephalus and high-level lesions. Of the 48 correlation coefficients computed between the hand function and tactile perception measures used, only one was statistically significant. This lack of correlation may indicate that hand function and tactile perception in children with myelomeningocele are unrelated factors. Clinical implications of impaired hand function and tactile perception were discussed.