Reliability and Concurrent Validity of the Perometer for Measuring Hand Volume in Women With and Without Lymphedema

Abstract

The Perometer can be used with high reliability to measure hand volume but caution should be exercised when data are compared with measures derived from the water volumetry method.

Diagnosis of Upper-Quadrant Lymphedema Secondary to Cancer: Clinical Practice Guideline From the Oncology Section of APTA

“…Perometry demonstrated a strong correlation with hand water volumetry ( r c = 0.88),82 circumferential measurement, lymphometry, and BIA measures ( r >0.70) 87. In addition, when used on healthy women, perometry strongly correlated with circumferential measurement using truncated cone ( r = 0.86-0.98) and cylinder ( r = 0.85-0.98) formulas 88.…”

“…Because of its excellent reliability, water displacement is considered the reference standard in much of the validity and diagnostic accuracy research 56–58,63,71,79,82. Water displacement is highly correlated ( r = 0.81-0.91) with circumferential measurement for the hand and the upper limb 78,80.…”

“…Many authors reported concerns with the use of water displacement due to time constraints and the costs involved with setup and administration of the methods 58,59,82. Because of concerns for cross-contamination in individuals with skin breakdown and open wounds, water displacement is contraindicated in this patient population 70.…”

Optimal pressure for measuring objective lymphedema with postoperative ultrasonography in patients with breast cancer

“…Though the perometer is sensitive to volume change, it has some limitations in clinical application because it cannot measure characteristics of tissue such as fibrosis. [30] Therefore, ultrasonography was selected for measuring and evaluating characteristics of the lymphedema tissue. In a prior study, the measurement of the ratio of thickness change with maximal compression using ultrasonography was introduced as a useful tool for the evaluation of hardness of the skin and subcutaneous tissue.…”

Use of impedance ratios to assess hand swelling in lymphoedema

“…4,5 An alternative strategy has been to derive the volume from hand circumference measures, taken either with a tape measure at 3 cm intervals 6 or with a perometer. 7 Water-displacement and circumference-based calculated volumes, such as perometry, are indirect measures of hand swelling as they measure the volume of all tissues including bone, muscle and fat. In conditions such as lymphoedema, the change in volume is primarily due to an increase in the quantity of extracellular fluid (ECF).…”