WORKER MONITORING TESTS FOR CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME

描述（改编自研究者摘要）：本提案 使用一组心理和感官测试来调查 定期监测产业工人的细微功能缺陷 腕管综合征（CTS） 虽然这些测试不是 用于诊断，它们应该足够敏感，以检测 早期CTS缺陷，但比其他监测更具体的CTS 工具，如自我报告或结构化症状调查。 以来 这些测试是自动化和非侵入性的，它们可能适合于 定期监测工人的早期CTS，类似于听力测定 测试用于监测暴露于巨大噪声的工人。 需要监测工具进行积极监测， 在这些情况发展成昂贵和禁用之前检测CTS 职业病和触发人体工程学干预。 首席研究员已经开发了生物医学 该提案的工具。 这些测试被证明是 可靠和灵敏的检测精神和感觉缺陷 与CTS有关。 这些测试与正中神经相关 门诊患者电生理参数的病例对照研究 电生理学证实的CTS，和对照组无 症状和电诊断参数与CTS一致。 该提案 通过提出一项前瞻性研究， 可以在工人中观察到这些测试参数的时间变化 出现CTS症状 一个250名工人的工业人口暴露于 与CTS相关的风险因素来自各种相关行业 CTS发病率高的患者将定期检测 心理和感觉功能测试参数超过四年的时间。 工人将每年接受CTS检查，包括 电生理测试 具有阳性/阴性功能的结局 将确定变化和阳性/阴性自我报告症状， 比较敏感性、特异性和预测值。 此外 在这些实地调查的基础上， 使用门诊受试者和对照组进行调查。

DESCRIPTION (Adapted From the Investigator's Abstract): This proposal investigates using a battery of psychomotor and sensory tests for periodically monitoring industrial workers for subtle functional deficits associated with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Although these tests are not intended for diagnosis, they should be sufficiently sensitive to detect early CTS deficits, yet be more specific for CTS than other monitoring instruments, such as self-reported or structured symptom surveys. Since these tests are automated and non-invasive, they may be suitable for routinely monitoring workers for early CTS, analogous to how audiometric tests are used for monitoring workers exposed to loud acoustic noise. Monitoring instruments are needed for active surveillance, for early detection of CTS before these cases progress into costly and disabling occupational illnesses, and for triggering ergonomics interventions. The Principal Investigator has already developed the biomedical instrumentation for this proposal. The tests were demonstrated to be reliable and sensitive for detection of psychomotor and sensory deficits associated with CTS. These tests were correlated with median nerve electrophysiologic parameters in a case-control study involving outpatients with electrophysiologically confirmed CTS, and a control group free of symptoms and electrodiagnostic parameters consistent with CTS. The proposal advances that work by proposing a prospective study for investigating if temporal changes in these test parameters can be observed among workers developing CTS symptoms. An industrial population of 250 workers exposed to risk factors associated with CTS from a variety of industries associated with high CTS incidence rates will be periodically tested for changes in psychomotor and sensory functional test parameters over a four year period. Workers will annually undergo examination for CTS, including electrophysiologic testing. Outcomes having positive/negative functional changes and positive/negative self reported symptoms will be ascertained and sensitivity, specificity and predictive value will be compared. In addition to these field investigations, new parameters for these instruments will be investigated using outpatient subjects and controls.