Correlation between dynamic posturography, clinical investigation, and neurography in patients with polyneuropathy

Dynamic posturography (PG) is a new objective method to study functional performance in diseases affecting balance. It measures muscle response latencies and sway angles to standardized alterations of a moveable platform and moveable surroundings. Twenty-eight patients with polyneuropathy (PN) were studied by clinical investigation, vibrametry, neurography, and dynamic PG. The results of dynamic PG and vibrametry were compared with those of 29 healthy controls. In the patients with PN, clinical scores correlated to the latencies of the muscle response when the platform was suddenly moved forward, and to equilibrium performance (sway angles) in dynamic PG test conditions with eyes closed and the platform either stable or 'sway-referenced'. That is, the platform moves in response to the patient's anterior-posterior sway, creating a disturbed proprioceptive input to the brain. Clinical scores also correlated to the equilibrium performance when both platform and surroundings were sway-referenced. In conclusion dynamic PG, in addition to clinical investigations and neurophysiology, is a valuable and objective method for estimating the equilibrium performance in patients with PN.