Limitations of the Ankle Jerk Test
Authors: KATHLEEN L. RIVES
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1965)

Article1 June 1965Limitations of the Ankle Jerk TestIntercomparison with Other Tests of Thyroid FunctionKATHLEEN L. RIVES, M.D., EUGENE D. FURTH, M.D., DAVID V. BECKER, M.D.KATHLEEN L. RIVES, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, EUGENE D. FURTH, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, DAVID V. BECKER, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-62-6-1139 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptThe association of prolonged deep tendon reflexes with myxedema has been reported since the earliest descriptions of this disease (1). The first attempt to quantitate this phenomenon was made in 1924 by Chaney (2), who constructed a simple mechanical device to measure the Achilles tendon reflex. The next major step was made by Lambert, Underdahl, Beckett, and Mederos (3) in 1951 when they reported a correlation between thyroid status and the duration of the ankle jerk. At least nine instruments have thus far been devised to quantitate this physical index and convert it into a diagnostic test of thyroid function...References1. ORD WM: Address in medicine: on some disorders of the nutrition related with affection of the nervous system. Brit. Med. J. 2: 205, 1884. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. CHANEY WC: Tendon reflexes in myxedema: a valuable aid in diagnosis. JAMA 82: 2013, 1924. CrossrefGoogle Scholar3. LAMBERTUNDERDAHLBECKETTMEDEROS EHLOSLO: A study of the ankle jerk in myxedema. J. Clin. Endocr. 11: 1186, 1951. CrossrefGoogle Scholar4. LAWSON JD: The free Achilles reflex in hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. New Eng. J. Med. 259: 761, 1958. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. LAWSON JD: The free Achilles reflex as an aid in the diagnosis of thyroid dysfunction. U. S. Armed Forces Med. J. 10. 16, 1959. MedlineGoogle Scholar6. HARRELLDANIEL GTD: Delayed relaxation of tendon reflexes as an aid in the diagnosis of myxedema. N. Carolina Med. J. 2: 549, 1941. Google Scholar7. GILSON WE: Achilles-reflex recording with a simple photomotograph. New Eng. J. Med. 260: 1027, 1959. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. SHARPE AR: A simple isotope method for recording the Achilles tendon reflex in myxedema. J. Lab. Clin. Med. 57: 165, 1961. Google Scholar9. SMARTROBSON GAAM: A simple method for recording Achilles tendon reflexes. Lancet 1: 363, 1963. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar10. MOULOPOULOSKOUTRASKRALIOS SDDAAC: A simple inexpensive method for recording Achilles tendon reflexes. Lancet 1: 85, 1964. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar11. MATCHETT BR: Personal communication to the authors. April, 1964. Google Scholar12. AVERAOVERHOLT JWBM: Achilles tendon reflex relaxation time: an aid in diagnosis and management of thyroid disorders. Amer. Pract. 13: 251, 1962. Google Scholar13. GORDON MB: The Achilles Reflex Test (A.R.T.) in the Diagnosis of Thyroid Dysfunction, Romaine Pierson Publishers, Inc., Manhasset, N. Y., 1962. Google Scholar14. SHERMANGOLDBERGLARSON LMFC: The Achilles reflex: a diagnostic test of thyroid dysfunction. Lancet 1: 243, 1963. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar15. MANN AS: The value of kinemography in the diagnosis of thyroid dysfunction. Amer. J. Med. Sci. 245: 317, 1963. CrossrefGoogle Scholar16. HAMOLSKYSTEINFREEDBERG MWMAS: The thyroid hormone-plasma protein complex in man. II. A new in vitro method for study of "uptake" of labelled hormonal components by human erythrocytes. J. Clin. Endocr. 17: 33, 1957. CrossrefGoogle Scholar17. FOGELEPSTEINSTOPAKKUPPERMAN RLJAJHHS: Achilles tendon reflex (photomotogram) as a measure of thyroid function. New York J. Med. 62: 1159, 1962. MedlineGoogle Scholar18. SIMPSONBLAIRNARTOWICZ GMJHGR: Diagnostic limitations of Achilles tendon reflex in thyroid disease. New York J. Med. 63: 1148, 1963. MedlineGoogle Scholar19. MOORECRAMERKNOWLES FJFBRG: Statistics for Medical Students and Investigators in the Clinical and Biological Sciences, The Blakiston Co., New York, 1951, pp. 21-27, 93-94. Google Scholar20. NUTTALLDOE FQRP: The Achilles reflex in thyroid disorders: a critical evaluation. Ann. Intern. Med. 61: 269, 1964. LinkGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: New York, New YorkFrom the Department of Medicine, The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, New York, N. Y.Requests for reprints should be addressed to David V. Becker, M.D., The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, 525 East 68th St., New York, N. Y. 10021. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byThe Thyroid and Its DisordersCLINICAL, METABOLIC, AND ORGAN-SPECIFIC INDICES OF THYROID FUNCTIONMeasurement of Thyroid FunctionDiagnosis and management of hyperthyroidismEuthyroid HyperthyroxinemiaGEORGE C. BORST, M.D., CHARLES EIL, M.D., Ph.D., KENNETH D. BURMAN, M.D.The first derivative of the cardiac impulse and carotid pulse in thyroid diseases and their diagnostic applicationDie SchilddrüseThyroid function tests and their alterations by drugsBiochemical Basis of Thyroid Hormone ActionTHE EFFECT OF RESERPINE AND PROPRANOLOL ON THE ACHILLES TENDON REFLEX TIME IN HYPERTHYROIDISMThe Thyroid GlandAge-sex specific achilles tendon reflex time in Japanese: A study of atomic bomb survivors, HiroshimaSerum TSH Levels and the Thyroidal Response to TSH Stimulation in Patients with Thyroid DiseaseJERALD C. NELSON, M.D., DELORES E. JOHNSON, M.D., WILLIAM D. ODELL, M.D. Ph.D.A new simple detector for achilles reflex measurementAchilles Tendon Reflexogram in Occlusive Arterial Diseases of the Lower Limbs a Preliminary ReportTHE EFFECT OF EXERCISE ON THE ACHILLES TENDON REFLEX TIMEANKLE JERK ESTIMATION AND THE THYROID FUNCTION IN A HEALTH SURVEYACHILLES REFLEX TIME AS A MEASURE OF THYROID FUNCTIONEffects of two phenothiazines on the Achilles-tendon reflexThe Achilles tendon reflex as an index of thyroid function.Mass Screening for Hypothyroidism by the Achilles Reflex TimeThe normal Achilles tendon reflex time in children as measured with the photomotographDie Messung der Achillessehnenreflexzeit als Routinetest in der Schilddrüsendiagnostik 1 June 1965Volume 62, Issue 6Page: 1139-1146KeywordsAnklesProteinsReflexesStatistical dataTendonsThyroid Issue Published: 1 June 1965 PDF downloadLoading ...