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Hand-arm vibration syndrome correlated with central nervous system changes
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CHICAGO — Swedish researchers have identified changes in the brains of patients with hand-arm vibration syndrome compared to a healthy control group.
The investigation, presented as a poster at the 63rd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, here, used functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) to investigate the cortical and subcortical changes in the primary somatosensory cortex and the primary motor cortex of patients with hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) and healthy controls.
“Exposure to hand vibration tools is known to cause HAVS,” the researchers wrote. “HAVS is a complex condition with three major components: vibration-induced white fingers, sensory symptoms and musculoskeletal symptoms.”
The investigation included 10 right-hand-dominant dental technicians with HAVS and 10 controls. Investigators from the departments of hand surgery and medical radiation physics at Lund University and University Hospital Malmö in Sweden conducted the study.
The FMRIs were conducted during tactile stimulation and motor activation of the right hands of the two study groups. Tactile stimulation was used on each finger separately, the investigators reported.
“The somatotopic pattern during sensory stimulation of the fingers was not as distinct in patients with HAVS as in healthy controls,” they wrote. “Instead, a large overlap between different fingers was seen.”
The cortical activation after tactile stimulation of individual fingers showed small, highly activated areas in the healthy controls and large, less-distinct activation in the patients with HAVS, they noted.
“These changes are likely the result of cortical reorganization following changes in afferent nerve impulses, and they may partly explain the symptoms seen in HAVS,” the investigators wrote.
“Our findings may add to the understanding of HAVS pathophysiology and may be a base for new treatment strategies,” they added.
For more information:
- Björkman A, Weibull A, Rosén B, et al. Central nervous changes in the hand-arm vibration syndrome: A FMRI study. Poster #37. Presented at the 63rd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Sept. 18-20, 2008. Chicago.