The Pollexograph®: A New Device for Palmar Abduction Measurements of the Thumb

Study Design: Clinical measurement, cross sectional. Purpose: To introduce a new measurement device, the Pollexograph®, to easily measure palmar thumb abduction, and to compare its reliability with conventional goniometry. Methods: Fourteen hand therapists measured palmar abduction of the same healthy subject with the Pollexograph and a conventional goniometer. In addition, intrarater reliability of the Pollexograph was studied in 21 patients with a hypoplastic thumb. Results: Variance between measurements of the same subject measured by the hand therapist was 2-6 times smaller with the Pollexograph compared to conventional goniometry. Pollexograph intrarater reliability in hypoplastic thumb patients was excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.98-0.99). Conclusions: A new tool to measure palmar abduction in clinical care, the Pollexograph, has been introduced. The Pollexograph reduces variability between raters when measuring the same subject compared with conventional goniometry and excellent measurement reliability in hypoplastic thumb patients. Level of evidence: Not applicable.

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