| 摘要 |
A screening apparatus (10), screening system, and method of screening for peripheral neuropathies. The screening apparatus (10) includes a surface (16) having an opening (19) therethrough, a surround (18) disposed about the opening (19), and a rod (20) with a specified contact area disposed within said opening for contact with a surface of the body. The rod (20) and surround (18) are each dimensioned such that principally Meissner corpuscles are stimulated. A vibratory device (22) is attached to the rod (20) and vibrates the rod at a single frequency within a predetermined frequency range, again such that primarily Meissner corpuscles are stimulated by the rod. Finally, an amplitude modulating device (14) is in communication with the vibratory device (22) for controlling the vibratory device such that an amplitude of vibration of the vibratory device is incrementally increased. In operation, a user places a surface of the body over the surround such that it rests upon the rod (20), the amplitude modulating device (14) controls the vibratory device (22) to induce vibration at the predetermined frequency, and the amplitude modulating device incrementally increases the amplitude of vibration of the vibratory device until the Meissner corpuscles are stimulated, causing the vibration to be felt by surface of the body.
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