Document Detail


"Tap sign" in tuberculoid and borderline tuberculoid leprosy.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  15485286     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Deep pain upon percussion of lesions over bone in tuberculoid leprosy, in spite of superficial sensory impairment, has been described as the "Tap Sign" (TS). This study was conducted to identify possible causes for this phenomenon and to determine the sensitivity and specificity of this sign in leprosy patients with lesions overlying bone. In 37/53 patients with lesions over bone, the sensitivity of the TS was 66.7% and the specificity was 100%. The positive predictive value was 100%, and the negative predictive value was 75%. The Tap Sign appears to be a useful clinical sign in diagnosis of tuberculoid and borderline tuberculoid leprosy where a lesion overlies a bone (sensitivity 66.7%). This test could be very useful to increase the clinical diagnostic yield, in the global perspective, in places where leprosy is diagnosed and treated by healthcare workers and primary care physicians without other laboratory facilities. Possible mechanisms responsible for the deep pain are discussed.
Authors:
Sujith Prasad W Kumarasinghe; M P Kumarasinghe; U T P Amarasinghe
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  International journal of leprosy and other mycobacterial diseases : official organ of the International Leprosy Association     Volume:  72     ISSN:  0148-916X     ISO Abbreviation:  Int. J. Lepr. Other Mycobact. Dis.     Publication Date:  2004 Sep 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2004-10-15     Completed Date:  2004-11-29     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  8505819     Medline TA:  Int J Lepr Other Mycobact Dis     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  291-5     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Base Hospital, Panadura, Sri Lanka. prasadkumarasinghe@yahoo.com
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Child
Female
Humans
Leprosy, Borderline / diagnosis*,  pathology
Leprosy, Tuberculoid / diagnosis*,  pathology
Male
Middle Aged
Pain*
Predictive Value of Tests
Sri Lanka

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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