Mi Ja Eom | 6 Articles |
Pediatric rehabilitation
Objective
To identify the normal range, distribution, and age-dependent differences in the cephalic index (CI) of Korean children with normal brain development and develop a classification of the current CI for Korean children up to 7 years of age. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 1,389 children who visited our hospital in the emergency room between October 2015 and September 2020 because of suspected head injuries. Finally, 1,248 children (741 male and 507 female) were enrolled after excluding abnormal medical or familial history and divided into 10 groups by age. The CI was measured using brain computed tomography and calculated according to the following equation: cephalic width/cephalic length×100. Results The averages of CI by age groups were as follows: 89.29 (0–3 months group, n=44); 91.41 (4–6 months group, n=63); 89.68 (7–9 months group, n=62); 87.52 (10–12 months group, n=41); 87.64 (≥2 years group, n=243); 86.63 (≥3 years group, n=178); 85.62 (≥4 years group, n=232); 85.77 (≥5 years group, n=201); 85.15 (≥6 years group, n=75); and 85.34 (≥7 years group, n=109). The CI of Korean children in normal brain development was confirmed to be large, showing a notable difference compared to that of Caucasians. Conclusion The current CI of Korean children will provide a valuable reference for diagnosing and treating cranial deformities, especially dolichocephaly and brachycephaly as well as to monitor the morphology of the cranium in clinics. Citations Citations to this article as recorded by
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Objective
To examine the correlation between ultrasonographic trunk muscle parameters and balance scales in mild acute stroke patients. Methods A total of 55 stroke patients with hemiparesis and motor power grade ≥4 in the manual motor test were included. The Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Timed Up and Go Test (TUG), and Trunk Control Test (TCT) were used to evaluate patient balance function. Ultrasonographic parameters were measured on both non-paretic and paretic sides of the rectus abdominis, external oblique, internal oblique, transversus abdominis, and erector spinae muscles. Resting thickness and contraction thickness were measured in all muscles, and contractility and contractility ratio were calculated based on measured thicknesses. The differences between paretic and non-paretic muscle parameters, and the correlation between ultrasonographic parameters and balance scales were analyzed. Stroke patients were divided into two groups according to their fall risk. Ultrasonographic measurements between the two groups were compared. Results All muscles’ contraction thickness and contractility were significantly different between paretic and non-paretic sides (p<0.001). Contractility ratios of all trunk muscles showed a significant correlation with SARA, BBS, TUG, and TCT (p<0.05). Contractility ratios of all muscles were significantly different between high- and low-risk fall groups (p<0.05). Conclusion The contractility ratio in stroke patients reflects their balance disturbance and fall risk and it may serve as a new parameter for ultrasound imaging of trunk muscles. Citations Citations to this article as recorded by
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Objective
To demonstrate the utility of Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) for evaluation of posterior circulation-related features in patients with mild stroke. Methods Forty-five subjects, diagnosed with acute infarction in the cerebellum, basis pontis, thalamus, corona radiata, posterior limb of internal capsule, and their National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores ≤5 were enrolled. SARA scores were graded by the cut-off value of severity in dependency of activities of daily living (ADL). SARA, Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Timed Up-and-Go (TUG), and Trunk Control Test (TCT) were correlated in regression analysis with the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at discharge. Correlation between SARA and other tools was analyzed. Patients were divided based on mRS at admission (group A, mRS 0–2; group B, mRS 3–5). Scores between the two groups were compared. Results Among the subjects, 48.9% (22/45) scored above 5.5 on SARA, and even 11.1% (5/45) scored higher than 14.25, which is the cut-off value of ‘severe dependency’ in ADL. SARA showed significant value for prediction of mRS at discharge. SARA was correlated with BBS (r=-0.946, p<0.001), TUG (r=-0.584, p<0.001), and TCT (r=-0.799, p<0.001). The SARA, BBS, TUG, and TCT scores between were lower in group B than in group A patients. SARA as well as BBS, TUG, and TCT reflect the functional severity of all patients. Conclusion SARA is a complementary tool for evaluation of the severity of ataxia in mild stroke patients with features of posterior circulation. Citations Citations to this article as recorded by
Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a bone marrow failure syndrome characterized by cytopenia that results in high risks of infection and bleeding. However, there are few reports of cerebral infarction in MDS. We reported a 72-year-old female with MDS who developed acute cerebral infarction. Clinical history of the patient revealed no definite risk factors for stroke except diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia that was well controlled. This case represented the rare occurrence of arterial thrombosis causing acute cerebral infarction in MDS, which may be due to complex chromosomal abnormality and inflammatory processes. Citations Citations to this article as recorded by
To compare transverse abdominis (TrA) contractility in stroke patients with hemiparesis and healthy adults using musculoskeletal ultrasonography. Forty-seven stroke patients with hemiparesis and 25 age-matched healthy control subjects participated in this study. Stroke patients were divided into three groups on the basis of their degree of ambulation. Group A consisted of 9 patients with wheelchair ambulation, group B of 23 patients with assisted ambulation, and group C of 15 patients with independent ambulation. Inter-rater reliability regarding ultrasonographic measurement of abdominal muscle thickness in the control group was assessed by two examiners. The TrA contraction ratio (TrA contracted thickness/TrA resting thickness) was measured during abdominal drawing-in maneuver and was compared between the patients and the control group and between the ambulation groups. The inter-rater reliability ranged from 0.900 to 0.947. The TrA contraction ratio was higher in the non-paretic side than in the paretic side (1.40±0.62 vs. 1.14±0.35, p<0.01). The TrA contraction ratio of the patient group was lower in the non-paretic side as well as in the paretic side than that of the control group (right 1.85±0.29, left 1.92±0.42; p<0.001). No difference was found between the ambulation regarding the TrA contraction ratio. The TrA contractility in hemiparetic stroke patients is significantly decreased in the non-paretic side as well as in the paretic side compared with that of healthy adults. Ultrasonographic measurement can be clinically used in the evaluation of deep abdominal muscles in stroke patients. Citations Citations to this article as recorded by
To evaluate the validity of physical examinations by assessment of correlation between physical examinations and CT measurements in children with intoeing gait and the causes of intoeing gait by age using CT measurements. Twenty-six children with intoeing gait participated in this study. The internal and external hip rotation, thigh-foot angle and transmalleolar angle were measured. In addition, femoral anteversion and tibial torsion of the subjects were assessed using a CT scan. The measurements of torsional angles were performed twice by two raters. The correlation coefficients between physical examinations and CT measurements were calculated using Pearson correlation. The data was analyzed statistically using SPSS v12.0. The correlation coefficients between physical examinations and CT measurements were not high. Before 5 years of age, intoeing gait was caused by femoral anteversion in 17.86%, tibial torsion in 32.29% and the combination of causes in 35.71% of cases. After 6 years of age, the contributions changed to 29.17%, 8.33% and 45.83%, respectively. Before 5 years of age, the common cause of an intoeing gait was tibial torsion, whereas after 6 years of age it was femoral anteversion. Regardless of age, the most common cause of intoeing gait was a combination of causes. This study shows poor correlation between physical examinations and CT. Therefore, it is limiting to use physical examination only for evaluating the cause of intoeing gait in clinical practice. Citations Citations to this article as recorded by
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