Various interventions to physical rehabilitation have been used after stroke, including musculoskeletal, neurophysiological, and motor learning interventions, with ongoing debates and controversies about their relative effectiveness. In this systematic review, we searched 3 international electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library) to identify relevant studies. We included only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that directly compared motor relearning, neurophysiological, and musculoskeletal interventions for improving motor function in adult stroke patients. Risk of bias (RoB) assessment was performed using Cochrane's RoB tool, and meta-analysis was conducted using Revman 5.4 with a random effects model. Certainty of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations method. The meta-analysis for immediate outcome for physical rehabilitation included 9 RCTs for balance, 10 RCTs for gait velocity, 7 RCTs for lower extremity motor function and 8 RCTs for performance of activities of daily living. There was no statistically significant different on improvement of balance, gait velocity, lower extremity motor function and performance of activity among physical rehabilitation interventions. Moderate-level evidence supports that no single intervention is superior. Clinicians and therapist should consider individual patient characteristics, preferences, and available resources when selecting the intervention for stroke rehabilitation.
This study aimed to compare functional outcomes after rehabilitation with initial degree of urinary retention (UR) in patients operated on for brain tumors. Medical records of 61 patients transferred to the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine of single center, from January 2011 to December 2021, were reviewed retrospectively. Patient data included post-void residual (PVR) urine, tumor characteristics, and functional status. Functional status was evaluated on the Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE), Modified Barthel Index (MBI), Functional Ambulation Category (FAC), Modified Rankin Scale (mRS), Motricity Index (MI)-lower limb, and Berg Balance Scale (BBS). MMSE, FAC, mRS, and MI-lower limb were re-evaluated 3 weeks after standard inpatient rehabilitation. Twenty-four patients were in the UR group and 37 in the non-UR group. Initial MMSE, MBI, BBS, FAC, and mRS were significantly worse in the UR group, and both groups showed significant functional improvement after rehabilitation. After rehabilitation, MMSE, FAC, MRS, MI-lower were still worse in the UR group, but the degree of improvement between the groups was not significantly different. Rehabilitation was shown to be effective for brain tumor patients regardless of UR. Initial UR after brain tumor surgery is significantly associated with poor functional status in both the early stages of rehabilitation and after rehabilitation.
This study aimed to investigate accessibility for rehabilitation therapy according to socioeconomic status (SES) after stroke using nationwide population-based cohort data. We selected patients with a diagnosis with stroke (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision code: I60-64) and SES including residential area, income level, and insurance type were also assessed. Receiving continuous rehabilitation therapy was defined as accumulation of "Rehabilitative developmental therapy for disorder of central nervous system (claim code: MM105)" more than 41 times. Logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate the association between SES and rehabilitation therapy using odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A total of 18,842 patients with stroke were enrolled. Rural area (OR, 0.745; 95% CI, 0.664-0.836) and medical aid (OR, 0.605; 95% CI, 0.494-0.741) were associated with lower rate of receiving rehabilitation therapy. As for income level, when lowest income group was used as a reference group, low-middle group showed an increased rate of receiving rehabilitation therapy (OR, 1.206; 95% CI, 1.020-1.426). Although rehabilitation therapy after stroke is covered with national health insurance program in Korea, there still existed disparities of accessibility for rehabilitation therapy according to SES. Our results would suggest helpful information for health policy in patients with stroke.
Hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) refers to a group of neurodegenerative disorders affecting motor neurons in the central nervous system. HSP type 11 is the most frequent subtype of autosomal recessive HSPs. Caused by pathogenic variants in SPG11, HSP type 11 has a heterogeneous clinical presentation, including various degrees of cognitive dysfunction, spasticity and weakness predominantly in the lower extremities among other features. An 8-year-old boy visited our rehabilitation clinic with a chief complaint of intellectual impairment. Motor weakness was not apparent, but he exhibited a mild limping gait with physical signs of upper motor neuron involvement. Next generation sequencing revealed biallelic pathogenic variants, c.2163dupT and c.5866+1G>A in SPG11, inherited biparentally which was confirmed by Sanger sequencing. Brain imaging study showed thinning of corpus callosum, consistent with previous reports, however whole spine imaging study revealed extensive syringomyelia in his spinal cord, a rare finding in HSP type 11. Further studies are needed to determine whether this finding is a true phenotype associated with HSP type 11.
Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate-receptor encephalitis is a complex autoimmune inflammatory neurological disorder that presents with epileptic seizures and rapid functional deterioration, including movement disorders and cognitive impairment, especially in young patients. Despite aggressive initial treatment with immune therapy, such as corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulin, and plasmapheresis, patients often need intensive rehabilitative therapies for their long-lasting deficits. We report a pediatric case of anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis in Korea that presented with symptoms of muscle weakness of the four extremities, dysarthria, dysphagia, and cognitive impairment in the acute phase. The patient underwent 4 weeks of comprehensive rehabilitative treatment, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, swallowing rehabilitation therapy, cognitive rehabilitation therapy, and speech therapy. At the follow-up evaluation after 4 weeks of treatment, she showed significant improvements in limb muscle strength, balance ability, swallowing, language function, and the ability to perform activities of daily living. However, when assessed using the Korean Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-IV, there was little improvement in cognitive function, particularly in working memory. While only a few cases have reported the progression of cognitive function using a standardized cognitive evaluation tool in patients with anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis, this present case report adds to the accumulation of evidence of neurocognitive deficits in these patients.
To the best of our knowledge, the upper age limit at which post-neonatal cerebral palsy (CP) can manifest remains uncertain. This uncertainty is attributed to the lack of objective parameters for assessing the developing brain. In a previous study, we reported that an ipsilateral corticospinal projection associated with brain injury, as manifested in the paretic hand of a CP patient, had never been observed in individuals aged > 2 years. In this case report, we present an instance of ipsilateral motor evoked potential (iMEP) in a girl whose traumatic brain injury occurred at the age of 4 years. This case is the oldest in which brain injury occurred and iMEP was maintained. In conclusion, iMEP can be a valuable indicator of motor system plasticity in the developing brain.
A systematic review was employed utilizing Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, to analyze all primary clinical data on the efficacy of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) induced spasticity. Databases include: Embase, PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, and Web of Science. The review included case series, case studies, and clinical trials. Outcomes of interest were spasticity reduction. Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation criteria was utilized to grade the certainty of evidence. Five hundred thirty-two articles were retrieved following database systematic review. One hundred eighty-eight articles were removed as duplicates utilizing the "Detect Duplicates" function on Rayyan.ai. A further 344 articles were excluded following abstract and title appraisal. As a result, 16 articles were subjected to full text appraisal. The dates of publication ranged from 1973 to 2019. Although a unique modality, there is not enough evidence to support the employment of SCS over current medical standard of care. Further high-quality randomized control trials are required to elucidate SCS's role in MS induced spasticity algorithm.
[This corrects the article e31 in vol. 15, PMID: 36742085.].