The reliability of assessment of vibration sense

Objectives - To assess the reliability of quantitative assessment of vibration sense with a Vibrameter type III. Material and methods - We examined 111 healthy subjects (21-69 years). For intraobserver reliability, short-term (15 min between measurements) (n = 11) and 24-h (n = 28) reliability was tested. For interobserver reliability, a second tester performed the second measurement 15 min after the initial test (n = 39). We also assessed the independent impact of effects of age, gender and height on vibration thresholds. Results - In our study the intraobserver reliability is good [intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) ranging from 0.55 to 0.99], whereas the interobserver reliability is moderate (ICC ranging from 0.32 to 0.88). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that age and - to a lesser extent height was independently associated with the threshold values of the feet, but not with the thresholds of the hands. Conclusion - The use of a Vibrameter for measuring vibration thresholds in clinical practice and in multicentre studies is restricted because of the moderate interobserver reliability.