History and national survey on reflex hammers: which is the chosen one of Brazilian neurologists?

Abstract Background Percussion is an important part of the neurological examination and reflex hammers are necessary to obtain it properly. Objective We aimed to review the historical aspects of the main reflex hammers and to define the favorite one of Brazilian neurologists. Methods We searched original and review articles about historical aspects of the reflex hammers in Scielo and Pubmed and conducted an online survey to investigate the favorite reflex hammer of Brazilian neurologists. Results In the first part, we describe the major milestones in the creation of the reflex hammers. Following, we exhibit the results of the online survey: Babinski-Rabiner was the most voted. Conclusions The origins of the reflex hammers goes back long before their creation, from a basic clinical examination method: percussion. Since the description of deep tendon reflexes and the creation of percussion hammers, much has been improved in this technique. Among all the hammers surveyed, the Babinski-Rabiner was the chosen one by a significant portion of Brazilian neurologists.

摘要 研究背景：叩诊是神经科检查的重要组成部分，反射锤（reflex hammer）是规范完成该项检查的必备工具。研究目的：本研究旨在梳理主流反射锤的历史沿革，并明确巴西神经科医师最青睐的反射锤型号。方法：我们检索了Scielo与PubMed数据库中关于反射锤历史沿革的原创性研究及综述文献，并开展一项在线调查，以探究巴西神经科医师的首选反射锤。结果：本文第一部分阐述了反射锤发展历程中的主要里程碑；随后展示本次在线调查的结果：巴宾斯基-拉宾纳锤（Babinski-Rabiner）得票率最高。结论：反射锤的起源可追溯至其正式诞生之前，其源头为一项基础临床检查方法——叩诊。自深部腱反射被系统描述、叩诊锤问世以来，该项检查技术已得到诸多改进。在本次调研涉及的所有反射锤型号中，巴宾斯基-拉宾纳锤被相当比例的巴西神经科医师选为首选。