Current principles for assessment of recovery after nerve repair, based on the British Research Council (MRC) protocol have serious limitations. New Model Instrument for Documentation of Outcome after Nerve Repair has been developed with reference to sensory and motor recovery as well as pain and discomfort (Rosén and Lundborg, 2000; Rosén and Lundborg, 2003). Special attention is paid to validity and reliability of the test instruments as well as their clinical utility.
A specific tool for assessment of tactile gnosis, expressed as the ability to identify shapes and textures without vision, has been developed (the STI- [Shape-Texture-Identification] test; Rosén and Lundborg, 1998; Rosén and Jerosch-Herold, 2000; Rosén, 2003), allowing a numerical scoring reflecting the extent of functional recovery after nerve repair.
Protocol for Documentation of Hand Function after Nerve injury