Doreen B Pfau, Wolfgang Greffrath, Andreas Schilder, Walter Magerl, Carolin Ohler, Andrea Westermann, Christoph Maier, Kathrin Doppler, Claudia Sommer, Michael Orth, Hans-Peter Hammes, Jochen Kurz, Marcus Götz, Rolf-Detlef Treede, Sigrid Schuh-Hofer
BACKGROUND: Thermo-test devices are rarely used outside specialized pain centres because of high acquisition costs. Recently, a new, portable device ("Q-Sense") was introduced, which is less expensive but has reduced cooling capacity (20°C). We assessed the reliability/validity of the "Q-Sense" by comparing it with the Thermal Sensory Analyzer (TSA). METHODS: Using a phantom-skin model, the physical characteristics of both devices were compared. The clinical performance was assessed in a multicentre study by performing Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST) in 121 healthy volunteers and 83 diabetic patients (Eudra-Med-No...
November 2019: European Journal of Pain: EJP