Diagnostic significance of cold provocation test at 12°C

Abstract

In Germany, vibration-induced white finger (VWF) disease is accepted as an occupational disease (BK No. 2104 BKV), for which compensation may be paid provided that the sociolegal requirements are met in accordance with the list of occupational diseases that is valid at the time. A cold provocation test (thermometry, infrared thermography) is helpful in the diagnosis of VWF and we believe that it could contribute to the standardization of vascular assessment methods. In Germany, the approved degree of the decrease in earning power is downgraded as disease symptoms improve with time; therefore, insured individuals suffering from VWF are regularly reassessed every 1–3 years. In the context of such follow-up examinations and the assessment of reversibility of this disease, a standardized cold provocation test is of central importance. Currently, there is a lack of data that confirm the diagnostic value of this test. Further investigations on VWF patients to validate the use of the cold provocation test in obtaining sufficient data for determining the satisfactory diagnostic value of this test are required.