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BACKGROUND: Some patients with FND and FEVD cannot re-establish walking ability with standard treatment alone. CASES: Novel invasive treatment of FEVD trialed in three females, aged 19, 30 and 33 years with >18 month history of FND. None could walk and all were wheelchair-dependent needing home carers. Standard treatment plus novel step-wise escalation of invasive "intervention+" was individually tailored to correct FEVD; functional electrical stimulation, botulinum toxin injections, tibial nerve block, serial casting, and for Case 3, manipulation under anesthetic and surgical tendon lengthening. All regained walking ability and discontinued carers. Case 1 resumed dancing and Case 3 returned to employment. Improvements were largely maintained at 3 and 6 month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: As a last resort, invasive adjuncts may be considered in a very small proportion of FND patients who fail to regain walking ability with standard treatment alone and reach a "dead end" where no further progress is feasible.
RESUMEN
PURPOSE: To describe the positive and negative impacts of spasticity across different neurological disorders using the Patient Reported Impact of Spasticity Measure (PRISM), deduce any associations between severity of spasticity and its impact, and assess for differences across diagnostic subgroups. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PRISM, a spasticity-specific quality of life questionnaire validated in patients with spinal cord injuries, was given to 97 follow-up patients attending a spasticity clinic prior to symptom assessment using the REsistance to PAssive movement Scale (REPAS). RESULTS: Patients described a minor level of positive impact and a marked negative impact in the domains of "Psychological Agitation," "Daily Activities," "Need for Assistance/Positioning" and "Social Avoidance/Anxiety." Spasticity severity was, in general, a poor predictor of perceived impact, although severity and localisation of spasticity was modestly correlated with "Need for Assistance/Positioning" and "Social Embarrassment" levels. Despite comparable levels of spasticity severity, people with MS expressed a more substantial impact across some PRISM domains than did patients in other groups. CONCLUSION: PRISM can be useful to assess the impact of spasticity in various neurological conditions although further validation studies are needed.Implications for RehabilitationThe localisation of spasticity in both legs or the right arm can produce a significant impact on 'Need for Assistance/Positioning' and 'Social Embarrassment'.People with MS may experience a greater impact of spasticity than those with other neurological conditions, particularly in the domains of Social Avoidance/Anxiety and Psychological Agitation.Coexisting factors such as anxiety, depression, fatigue and pain should be investigated together with spasticity.PRISM can assist in goal setting and treatment of people with spasticity secondary to different neurological conditions.