Relationship between progressive improvement in gait ability one year after discharge and skeletal muscle characteristics of stroke survivors.

BACKGROUND: The clinical importance of skeletal muscle characteristics for improving gait ability of stroke survivors is increasing. We aimed to examine the association between muscle quantity and quality at discharge and changes in gait independence at the time of 1 year after discharge in patients with stroke. METHODS: This prospective observational study included 100 patients with stroke who were admitted to a convalescent rehabilitation ward. We defined muscle quantity and quality operationally as muscle thickness and echo intensity observed in ultrasonography images, respectively, and measured quadriceps muscle on the paretic and non-paretic sides at the time of discharge. The outcome measured in our study was changes in gait independence 1 year after discharge, as assessed by the Functional Independence Measure gait assessment tool score. RESULTS: Among the study participants, 23 (23.0 %) were assessed to have reduced gait independence, while 77 (77.0 %) were evaluated to have improved or maintained gait independence. Our multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that only muscle quantity on the paretic side was significantly associated with an improvement or maintenance of gait independence (odds ratios 3.32; 95 % confidence interval 1.01-10.95; p = 0.049). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings revealed that an improvement in gait independence 1 year after discharge was influenced by quadriceps muscle quantity on the paretic side at the time of discharge in patients with subacute stroke. This finding highlights the importance of lower limb muscle quantity on the paretic side as a clinically significant factor that influences the improvement in gait ability after hospital discharge.

Relationship between longitudinal changes in skeletal muscle characteristics over time and functional recovery during intensive rehabilitation of patients with subacute stroke.

BACKGROUND: Stroke is a disease that easily impairs skeletal muscle characteristics, resulting in low quantity, low quality, and poor strength. However, the recovery process of skeletal muscles in patients with stroke is not well established. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to determine the longitudinal changes in skeletal muscle characteristics in patients with stroke during intensive rehabilitation and examine their relationship with functional recovery. METHODS: Eighty-five patients with stroke were prospectively recruited. We defined muscle quantity and quality as ultrasonographic muscle thickness and echo intensity, respectively, and muscle strength as knee extension strength. These skeletal muscle characteristics were compared at four time points: on admission, after 2 weeks, after 4 weeks, and at discharge. We also explored the relationship between changes in skeletal muscle characteristics and functional recovery. RESULTS: Non-paretic knee extension torque (F = 5.838, P = .001), paretic quadriceps thickness (F = 2.943, P = .039), and paretic tibialis anterior thickness (F = 4.654, P = .004) improved over time, and changes in the paretic side quadriceps thickness were significantly associated with recovery for balance ability (odds ratio, 1.05; 95% confidence interval, 1.00-1.09; P = .048). CONCLUSIONS: The present study revealed that knee extension muscle strength on the non-paretic side and quadriceps and tibialis anterior thickness on the paretic side significantly improved over time and that changes in the paretic side quadriceps thickness were associated with the recovery of balance ability.

Perimesencephalic non-aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage caused by cavernous sinus thrombosis: case report.

A 37-year-old man presented with perimesencephalic non-aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage associated with cavernous sinus thrombosis. Anticoagulant therapy was administered to treat the cavernous sinus thrombosis, but provoked severe intracranial hemorrhage, severely disabling the patient. Perimesencephalic non-aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage is a benign clinical entity with generally good prognosis, but the association with cavernous sinus thrombosis requires careful investigation prior to treatment.

[A case of a subclavian-vertebral junction arterial aneurysm with brain stem thromboembolism].

Subclavian artery aneurysm is relatively rare, but, we can scarcely find mention in the literature of a subclavian-vertebral junction aneurysm. We report a case of a 73-year-old man with a left subclavian-vertebral junction arterial aneurysm of 11 mm in diameter which caused a brain stem thromboembolism. He showed right hemiparesis and dysarthria on admission. On the 5th day after admission, his hemiparesis worsened and he could not even walk. In order to prevent further embolic attack on the vertebro-basilar system and rupture from the aneurysm, we embolized the aneurysm successfully with some GDC coils. During the operation, no further brain infarction occurred, and we maintained blood circulation in the left subclavian-vertebral artery. This aneurysm appeared on angiography to be atherosclerotic in its clinical characteristics, and we have scheduled follow-up angiography in two years time. As his hemiparesis had improved, he was discharged from the hospital on foot.