Automated Multi-Frequency Vibrometry for Objective Clinical Assessment of Dorsal Column Dysfunction in Individuals with Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy.

Authors

Karlen Ka Pui Law, Tsui Chi Mak, Prudence Wing Hang Cheung, Graham Ka Hon Shea, Chris Yuk Kwan Tang, Kenney Ki Lee Lau, Chor Yin Lam, Kenny Yat Hong Kwan, Jason Pui Yin Cheung, Paul Aarne Koljonen

Published in

The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society. Nov 12, 2026. Epub Nov 12, 2026.

Abstract

Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) causes progressive disability, yet early detection remains difficult. Impaired vibration perception may signal early dorsal column dysfunction, but existing testing methods are subjective and poorly standardized.
Validating automated multi-frequency-vibrometry for measuring vibrotactile-perception-threshold (VPT) in DCM.
Prospective cross-sectional study PATIENT SAMPLE: A total of 50 Chinese DCM patients and 50 matched controls (mean age: 68.7 years).
The primary outcome was VPT, while the cross-sectional area on MRI (CSA), Hong Kong Myelopathy Criteria (HKMC), and Modified Japanese Orthopedic Association scoring system (mJOA) were assessed as secondary outcome measures.
All participants underwent VPT testing at 125/250/500 Hz for the upper limb and 8/32/125 Hz for the lower limb. Clinical severity was assessed using the DCM severity indicators CSA, HKMC, and mJOA scores. The connections between VPT and these severity indicators were analysed with Pearson's correlation and linear regression. Subsequently, the VPT cutoff for DCM was identified via ROC analysis.
DCM patients exhibited significantly higher VPTs than controls across all frequencies (p<0.001). These VPTs showed strong correlations with CSA (r=-0.532 to -0.644, p<0.001) and HKMC (r=-0.579 to -0.800, p<0.001), but weaker correlations with mJOA (r=-0.382 to -0.576). Multivariable regression explained 54.5% of CSA variation and 83.2% of HKMC variation (both p<0.001). Diagnostic accuracy was excellent, with peak discrimination at 500 Hz in the upper limb (AUC=0.98; cutoff=127dB; sensitivity=0.98; specificity=0.94) and 125 Hz in the lower limb (AUC=0.93; cutoff=129dB; sensitivity=0.94; specificity=0.86). The normal values for Chinese individuals in this study aligned with previously published Swedish norms.
Quantitative VPT is a sensitive indicator of dorsal column dysfunction in DCM, detecting deficits even in subclinical compression. Automated multi-frequency vibrometry may support earlier diagnosis, risk stratification, and monitoring, while multinational validation is needed to define population-specific cutoffs.

PMID:
43020288
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 13 Nov 2026.

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