Test-Retest and Inter-Examiner Reliability of a Novel Bedside Quantitative Sensory Testing Battery in Postherpetic Neuralgia Patients.

In health and disease, the somatosensory system has been interrogated with standardized research techniques, collectively referred to as quantitative sensory testing (QST). In neuropathic pain, QST has been used to characterize multiple sensory derangements. However, the use of QST outside the lab has been limited by several factors, including a lack of standardization, variability in procedural technique, and duration of testing that would be unacceptable for clinic.

Quantitative sensory testing in measurement of neuropathic pain phenomena and other sensory abnormalities.

Neuropathic pain disorders are usually characterized by spontaneous ongoing or intermittent symptoms, stimulus-evoked positive sensory phenomena, and negative sensory phenomena. Spontaneous individual subject specific phenomena are identified in the neurologic history and are quantifiable by means of self-reported neuropathic pain symptoms tools such as scales, inventories, and questionnaires. Negative and positive sensory phenomena are assessed by the neurologic bedside examination and quantitative sensory testing (QST), which refers to psychophysical tests of sensory perception during the administration of stimuli with predetermined physical properties and following specific protocols.