Rehabilitation Outcomes of Patients With Severe Disability Poststroke.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize rehabilitation outcomes of patients with severe poststroke motor impairment (MI) and develop a predictive model for treatment failure. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. Correlates of treatment failure, defined as the persistence of severe MI after rehabilitation, were identified using logistic regression analysis. Then, an integer-based scoring rule was developed from the logistic model. SETTING: Three specialized inpatient rehabilitation facilities. PARTICIPANTS: Patients (N=1265) classified as case-mix groups (CMGs) 0108, 0109, and 0110 of the Medicare classification system. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Change in the severity of MI, as assessed by the FIM, from admission to discharge. RESULTS: Median FIM-motor (FIM-M) score increased from 17 (interquartile range [IQR] 14-23) to 38 (IQR, 25-55) points. Median proportional recovery, as expressed by FIM-M effectiveness, was 26% (IQR, 12-47). Median FIM-M change was 18 (IQR, 9-34) points. About 38.5% patients achieved the minimal clinically important difference. Eighteen point six percent and 32.0% of the patients recovered to a stage of either mild (FIM-M ≥62) or moderate (FIM-M 38-61) MI, respectively. All between-CMG differences were statistically significant. Outcomes have also been analyzed according to classification systems used in Australia and Canada. The scoring rule had an area under the curve of 0.833 (95% confidence interval, 0.808-0.858). Decision curve analysis displayed large net benefit of using the risk score compared with the treat all strategy. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a snapshot of rehabilitation outcomes in a large cohort of patients with severe poststroke MI, thus filling a gap in knowledge. The scoring rule accurately identified the patients at risk for treatment failure.

Italian adaptation of the functional outcome questionnaire - aphasia: initial psychometric evaluation.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Italian version of Functional Outcome Questionnaire - Aphasia. METHODS: Two hundred and five persons with stroke-related aphasia and right hemiparesis who received ongoing assistance from a family caregiver were assessed using the Functional Outcome Questionnaire - Aphasia, Aachener Aphasie Test, Token Test, Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices, Functional Independence Measure (FIM), Functional Assessment Measure (FAM), and Quality of Life Questionnaire for Aphasics (QLQA). The Functional Outcome Questionnaire - Aphasia was translated into the Italian language using a translation and back-translation method. Reliability and construct validity of the Functional Outcome Questionnaire - Aphasia were evaluated. RESULTS: The Italian version of the Functional Outcome Questionnaire - Aphasia showed good internal consistency and test-retest reliability for the overall scale (α = 0.98; ICC = 0.95) and subscales (α = 0.89 for the communicating basic needs (CBN), α = 0.92 for the making routine requests (MRR), α = 0.96 for the communicating new information (CNI), α = 0.93 for the attention/other communication skills (AO); ICC = 0.95 for CBN, ICC = 0.96 for MRR, ICC = 0.97 for CNI and ICC = 0.92 for AO). Significant correlations were found between the Functional Outcome Questionnaire - Aphasia and Token Test, QLQA, Aachener Aphasie Test scores, and FAM linguistic scores, indicating good convergent validity. Low correlations were found between Functional Outcome Questionnaire - Aphasia and Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices and FIM motor scores, showing good discriminant validity. CONCLUSIONS: The overall findings of this study supported the reliability and construct validity of the Italian version of the Functional Outcome Questionnaire - Aphasia. This measure holds considerable promise in assessing the functional outcomes of aphasia rehabilitation in Italian-speaking persons with aphasia. Implications for Rehabilitation Functional Outcome Questionnaire - Aphasia is a reliable and valid questionnaire in assessing functional communication of Italian-speaking people with aphasia. This measure provides critical information about people with aphasia's functional and pragmatic communication in home and community settings, contributing significantly to overall quality of life. Since the use of measures of functional communication is recommended in the clinical evaluation of language disease, the Italian version of Functional Outcome Questionnaire - Aphasia may be effective in tailoring rehabilitation treatment to the presenting communication problems of people with aphasia and their caregivers.

Effect of subtypes of neglect on functional outcome in stroke patients.

OBJECTIVE: Because of the loss of autonomy in daily-life activities, spatial neglect after stroke is one of the main causes of disability. According to the spatial domains, neglect can be divided into personal (body), peripersonal (reaching) and extrapersonal (far) space. We evaluated the effect of these subtypes of neglect on functional outcome of rehabilitation in stroke patients. METHODS: A total of 1350 stroke patients were consecutively admitted into our neurorehabilitation unit from 2002 to 2016. We analyzed data for patients with a first ischemic or hemorrhagic right-hemispheric stroke in this observational retrospective study. The presence of neglect was evaluated by using structured tests for specific spatial domains. Patients underwent individual physical and occupational therapy, and those with neglect received specific therapy for 8 consecutive weeks consisting of visual scanning, reading and copying, copying line drawings on a dot matrix and describing scenes. The Functional Independence Measure (FIM) instrument was administered at both admission and discharge to assess functional autonomy. Rehabilitation effectiveness for FIM (percentage of potential improvement achieved) was calculated. Multiple regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: Among 359 patients with right-brain damage, 130 showed left neglect, or unilateral spatial neglect (USN), and 229 only left hemiparesis, without neglect. Overall, 90 patients (69%) with USN showed peripersonal neglect, 89 (68%) extrapersonal neglect and 60 (46%) personal neglect. Functional motor and cognitive impairment was greater with than without USN as measured by FIM at admission and discharge and the rehabilitation hospital stay was longer. USN affected functional status at admission and rehabilitation effectiveness for FIM. Extrapersonal and peripersonal neglect significantly affected both function at admission and effectiveness. CONCLUSIONS: Our data confirm the negative prognostic effect of neglect on functional outcome in a large sample. We also show the importance of evaluating and training according to neglect subtype to improve functional independence.

Efficacy of visual-scanning training and prism adaptation for neglect rehabilitation.

Unilateral spatial neglect consists of the inability of a patient to respond, orient, and attend to stimuli on the left side of a space following a right-hemisphere lesion. Many rehabilitation approaches have been proposed to reduce neglect. The aim of our study was to compare the effect of visual-scanning training (VST) and prismatic adaptation (PA) on patients with neglect following a right-hemisphere lesion. Twenty patients with left neglect were enrolled in the study. Before and after training, a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment of visuospatial abilities, evaluating personal, peripersonal, and extrapersonal neglect, was performed. After assessment, patients were alternately assigned to 1 of 2 groups, VST or PA. Both trainings consisted of 20 sessions, 1 per day, 5 days a week for 4 weeks. The results showed that both treatments improved patient neglect, especially in personal and peripersonal spaces. No difference between pretreatment and posttreatment was found in extrapersonal subscales. This finding could be due to the fact that there were no exercises requiring the use of objects within reach in either training. In conclusion, no difference between the 2 approaches was found, and both are useful rehabilitation techniques that appear to improve neglect.

A case of atypical progressive supranuclear palsy.

BACKGROUND: Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a neurodegenerative extrapyramidal syndrome. Studies have demonstrated that PSP can present clinically as an atypical dementing syndrome dominated by a progressive apraxia of speech (AOS) and aphasia. AIM: We aimed to investigate the clinical presentation of PSP, using a comprehensive multidimensional evaluation, and the disease response to various pharmacological treatments. METHODS: A 72-year-old right-handed male, with 17 years education, who first presented with aphasia, AOS, depression, apathy, and postural instability at 69 years; a complete neuropsychological evaluation, tapping the different cognitive domains, was performed. RESULTS: Testing revealed a moderate global cognitive deficit (Mini-Mental State Examination test score =20), low memory test scores (story recall, Rey's 15-word Immediate and Delayed Recall), and poor phonemic and semantic fluency. The patient's language was characterized by AOS, with slow speech rate, prolonged intervals between syllables and words, decreased articulatory accuracy, sound distortions, and anomia. Behavioral changes, such as depression, anxiety, apathy, and irritability, were reported. The neurological examination revealed supranuclear vertical gaze palsy, poor face miming, and a mild balance deficit. Magnetic resonance imaging showed only widespread cortical atrophy. Single photon emission computed tomography demonstrated left > right frontotemporal cortical abnormalities. After 6 months, a further neuropsychological assessment showed a progression in cognitive deficits, with additional attention deficits. The patient reported frequent falls, but the neurological deficits remained unchanged. Neuroimaging tests showed the same brain involvement. CONCLUSION: Our case highlights the heterogeneity of the clinical features in this syndrome, demonstrating that atypical PSP can present as AOS and aphasia, without the classical features or involvement of the subcortical gray and brainstem region, commonly affected in typical PSP.

Quality of life measurement and outcome in aphasia.

BACKGROUND: Quality of life (QL) can be defined as the individual's perception of their own well-being. Aphasia is the most important potential consequence of stroke and has a profound effect on a patient's life, causing emotional distress, depression, and social isolation, due to loss of language functions. AIMS: To draw up a QL questionnaire for aphasics (QLQA) focusing particularly on difficulties in interpersonal relationships and on the loss of independence as a result of language disorders. We reported the results of a psychometric evaluation of this measure. Moreover, we experimentally focused on the differences in QLQA between patients affected only by neurological motor impairment and hemiparetic patients with aphasia (PWA) in order to verify the specific role of aphasia on QL. We also explored if the QLQA is sensitive to the severity of aphasia and to the time elapsing from the stroke. METHODS: A total of 146 consecutive PWA and 37 control subjects were enrolled to evaluate the reliability (internal consistency and test-retest reliability) and validity of the QLQA, using standard psychometric methods. Patients were divided into acute (within 3 months since stroke) and chronic (beyond 3 months) groups, and into mild and severe according to the severity of aphasia. The experimental group of only acute PWA was compared to control subjects, with right hemispherical lesion and without aphasia in QLQA total and partial scores. RESULTS: The QLQA had good internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Acute and chronic PWA and mild and severe ones differed in QLQA total, communication, and autonomy subscales. No differences were found in psychological condition. Between aphasic and control patients, significant differences were found in all QLQA subscales. CONCLUSION: The QLQA is a valid measure of QL in PWA, contributing to a better distinction between severe and mild aphasia, and it is sensitive also to the variations in QL depending on the time interval from stroke.

Multiple system atrophy with early cognitive deficits: a case report.

We present the case of a patient with multiple system atrophy with predominant cerebellar ataxia (MSA-C) in the early stage of the disease, who was assessed using a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery. Many studies have found cognitive deficits in MSA patients assessed after 2-3 years, but not in the first stages of the disease. The aim of this paper is to stress the importance of a complete neuropsychological assessment, even at the initial stage of the disease, when instrumental examinations are not able to show cortical involvement and daily life activities have not been affected. The neuropsychological tests examined general cognition, verbal and visual memory, visuospatial and constructional ability, language, executive function, depression and functional autonomy. Results showed cognitive deficits in executive functions, above all in the control and inhibition of automatic response, planning and reasoning abilities, memory and visuoconstructional functions. However, these problems did not affect the patient's autonomy in everyday life. MRI scan showed the involvement of the cerebellum and the fibers of the pons and raphe, with normal cerebral ventricles and sulci. The cognitive deficits in our patient could be explained by a disruption in cerebrocerebellum connections between the frontal areas and the cerebellar structures. These results show that a more comprehensive cognitive evaluation is necessary to detect early the onset of neuropsychological deficits, also in order to begin in time adequate rehabilitation programs.