A thermal vascular test for distinguishing between patients with Raynaud's phenomenon and healthy controls

This study tested the reliability and validity of a diagnostic thermal vascular test (TVT) for patients with Raynaud's Phenomenon (RP). The TVT examined digital blood pressure responses to combined cooling and occlusion and was developed as part of the Raynaud's Treatment Study, a multicenter clinical trial comparing the efficacy of biofeedback and pharmacological treatment. A computerized system permitted efficient, accurate, and uniform testing at different geographical sites. A comparison of 199 patients with RP and 52 healthy controls is reported. The TVT showed a sensitivity of 79% and a specificity of 88%. Test-retest reliability was acceptable (r = .80). Addition of a psychological challenge failed to improve the discrimination between patients with RP and controls. The TVT separated patients with RP and controls as well as or better than existing tests and did so with enhanced ease of operation.