Neurosensory sequelae assessed by thermal and vibrotactile perception thresholds after local cold injury

Figures & data

Table I. Site of injury and participation 4 months (4 m) and 4 years (4 y) post-injury for all patients (n=15)

						Participation 4 m
		Site of cold injury					Vibrotactile			Thermotactile
		Hand		Foot			Hands		Feet	Hands	Feet	Participation 4 y
ID	Age	R^1	L^2	R^1	L^2	Q^3	Dig 2	Dig 5	Dig 1	Dig 2+3	D foot^4	Q^3
1	21	●	●	○	○	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
2	21	○	○	○	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
3	21	●	●	○	○	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
4	20	●	●	○	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
5	21	●	●	○	○	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
6	19	●	●	●	●	○	●	●	●	●	●	●
7	20	○	○	●	○	○	●	●	●	●	●	●
8	20	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	○
9	20	●	●	○	○	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
10	19	●	●	○	○	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
11	19	○	○	○	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
12	21	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
13	20	○	○	●	○	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
14	20	○	○	●	●	○	●	●	●	●	●	●
15	20	●	○	○	○	●	●	●	●	●	●	○

Solid circle indicates that the patient has a freezing cold injury at the specific site or participated in the questionnaire or assessment specified.

¹Right; ²left; ³questionnaire; ⁴dorsal foot.

Table II. Vibrotactile perception thresholds for digs 2 and 5 of the right and left hands and thermal perception thresholds for the distal phalanges of digs 2 and 3

	Vibration threshold^1				Thermal threshold^2
	Dig 2		Dig 5		Warm		Cold
ID	Right (%)	Left (%)	Right (%)	Left (%)	Right (°C)	Left (°C)	Right (°C)	Left (°C)
1	0.77	0.27	0.56	0.04	7.0	13.7	4.4	3.1
2	0.94	0.80	0.80	0.68	2.7	2.9	1.6	1.7
3	0.95	0.98	0.90	0.94	2.2	4.1	1.4	2.4
4	0.81	0.77	0.63	0.75	2.7	2.9	1.4	1.4
5	1.17	1.23	1.06	1.06	7.2	4.7	3.8	3.0
6	0.76	0.68	0.47	0.62	4.3	3.4	2.7	2.3
7	1.12	1.29	1.23	1.31	2.8	2.2	2.1	1.9
8	0.55	0.55	0.56	0.57	5.6	6.7	2.3	6.6
9	0.93	0.94	0.78	0.74	5.1	3.5	4.0	3.4
10	1.07	1.05	0.97	0.95	3.1	4.2	2.2	2.0
11	0.89	1.08	0.83	0.95	4.2	3.0	2.0	1.5
12	0.73	0.90	0.93	0.82	4.2	8.3	2.8	4.6
13	1.22	1.30	1.25	1.00	3.1	1.7	1.5	1.5
14	1.03	1.14	1.09	1.11	1.9	1.7	1.4	0.9
15	1.06	1.15	1.07	1.08	2.0	2.4	1.6	1.4

Numbers with white background indicate a test result from a hand with a freezing cold injury. Bold numbers indicate a test value that differs >2SD from the mean reference value.

¹Results presented as a sensibility index for all frequencies combined (8, 32, 125 and 500 Hz). A lower value indicates reduced sensibility to vibration stimuli.

²Values presented are the difference in degrees Celsius from baseline temperature to detection temperature. A higher temperature value indicates reduced sensibility.

Table III. Vibrotactile perception thresholds for the first toe of the right and left feet and thermal perception thresholds for the dorsal arc of the feet

	Vibration threshold^1		Thermal threshold^2
	First toe		Warm		Cold
ID	Right (%)	Left (%)	Right (°C)	Left (°C)	Right (°C)	Left (°C)
1	0.29	0.28	9.1	11.5	2.9	1.9
2	0.24	0.32	11.7	11.5	1.1	1.0
3	0.31	0.05	11.1	12.3	8.7	2.8
4	0.34	0.27	6.9	5.0	1.5	1.0
5	0.94	0.98	11.0	11.1	1.2	6.3
6	0.28	0.33	9.8	9.5	2.8	2.3
7	0.96	0.54	5.5	6.0	1.5	0.8
8	0.05	0.09	9.0	12.3	9.4	8.7
9	0.57	0.42	13.4	12.7	5.7	2.8
10	0.59	0.34	9.5	7.6	1.1	2.0
11	0.53	0.48	9.3	10.2	1.2	5.7
12	0.45	0.56	8.3	7.2	2.3	4.5
13	0.44	0.52	5.1	5.9	1.1	2.2
14	0.57	0.28	6.2	3.8	1.0	1.1
15	1.05	1.03	3.6	4.8	1.5	0.9

Numbers with a white background indicate a test result from a foot with a freezing cold injury. Bold numbers indicate a test value that differs >2SD from the mean reference value.

¹Results presented as a sensibility index for all frequencies combined (8, 32, 125 and 500 Hz). A lower value indicates reduced sensibility to vibration stimuli.

²Values presented are the difference in degrees Celsius from baseline temperature to detection temperature. A higher temperature value indicates reduced sensibility.

Fig. 1.  Neurovascular symptoms in the hands (n=6). Reported rate of neurovascular symptoms; cold sensation, white toes and pain/discomfort when exposed to cold, among patients with freezing cold injury to the hands 4 months (4 m) and 4 years (4 y) post-injury.

Fig. 2.  Neurovascular symptoms in the feet (n=8). Reported rate of neurovascular symptoms; cold sensation, white toes and pain/discomfort when exposed to cold, among patients with freezing cold injury to the feet 4 years post-injury (4 y).