Long-term effects of sensory reeducation following digital replantation and revascularization

The long-term maintenance of sensory gain following sensory reeducation is still unknown for replanted digits. Ten patients with 18 replanted or revascularized digits, who had received a formal sensory reeducation program for 1.5 years postoperatively, were reevaluated with moving two-point discrimination and Semmes-Weinstein pressure threshold test after discontinuing sensory reeducation for 1 year. Another four patients with seven replanted or revascularized digits, who have never received sensory reeducation after surgery, were also followed up in the same way. After cessation of sensory reeducation, the degree of moving two-point discrimination became significantly worse in the formal sensory-reeducated group (P < 0.05) and significantly improved in the group without sensory reeducation initially (P < 0.05), whereas it showed a nonsignificant change of Semmes-Weinstein threshold both in the group with formal sensory reeducation and without sensory reeducation. Sensory retraining did influence the progressive change of moving two-point discrimination, but not in a parallel way with the Semmes-Weinstein threshold test.