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(Stroke. 2006;37:471.)
© 2006 American Heart Association, Inc.

Original Contributions

Eliciting Information on Differential Sensation of Heat in Those With and Without Poststroke Aphasia Using a Visual Analogue Scale

Nicol Korner-Bitensky, PhD; Eva Kehayia, PhD; Nicole Tremblay, PhD; Barbara Mazer, PhD; Fanny Singer, MSc Jill Tarasuk, MSc

From the Faculty of Medicine (N.K.-B., E.K., B.M.), School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Centre de Recherche Interdisciplinaire en Réadaptation du Montréal Métropolitain (N.K.-B., E.K., B.M., F.S., J.T.), Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital Site, Laval, Quebec, Canada; and Centre Intégré Sur le Cancer du Sein (N.T.), Pavillon Le Royer, Montréal, Québec, Canada.

Correspondence to Nicol Korner-Bitensky, PhD, School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University, 3630 Promenade Sir-William-Osler, Montreal, Quebec, H3G 1Y5 Canada. E-mail nicol.korner-bitensky{at}mcgill.ca

Background and Purpose— Aphasia can result in an inability to communicate the presence, location, or intensity of pain. Although visual analogue scales (VASs) exist, it is unknown whether they are useful in assessing pain in individuals with aphasia. The objective was to determine whether those with poststroke aphasia could respond differentially to thermal stimuli of varying intensities using a standardized VAS.

Methods— Five groups of participants were assessed: those without stroke, those with stroke but without aphasia, and 3 groups with varying degrees of aphasia. A 10-cm vertical VAS was used to measure responses to varying thermal intensities delivered on the participant’s forearm.

Results— Across all 5 groups, a similar proportion demonstrated ability to discriminate between 2 temperatures (²=1.899; P=0.75). When presented with 4 temperatures, all groups performed more poorly, yet with similar success rates across groups (²=0.1267; P=0.88). The repeated-measures ANOVA revealed no effect of group but a significant effect of temperature (P<0.0001).

Conclusion— A VAS may be useful in clinical identification of differing intensities of stimuli in a substantial proportion of those with aphasia.

Key Words: aphasia • pain • stroke