Sensory evaluation tools stroke described in Portuguese: a systematic review

ABSTRACT Most survivors of stroke present, among other consequences, a sensory deficit. To assess the impact of this deficit on the activity and the effect of sensory reeducation protocols, it is important to use objective instruments. The objective of this systematic review was to analyze which sensory evaluation tools for post-stroke patients are available in Brazilian Portuguese and describe its features and/or properties. A search was conducted in the electronic databases SCIELO, LILACS, PUBMED, CINAHL, MEDLINE via OVDI, and EMBASE. The relevant studies were analyzed as to accessibility, objectivity of the score and measurement properties, adding articles through manual search when necessary. The search resulted in 96 studies, reduced to five eligible ones. A study was added through the list of references and the manual search was used for complementation. Among the seven reviewed articles, only three sensory evaluation tools are available in Portuguese: moving touch pressure (MTP), sensitivity domain of Fugl-Meyer Scale (FMS), and Nottingham Sensory Assessment (NSA). In addition, although the reliability of the FMS and of the NSA may be considered appropriate, the other properties of measurement need to be evaluated in future studies.