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Objective:To observe any effect of functional magnetic stimulation (FMS) of the sacral 3 nerve root on relieving urine retention after a spinal cord injury.Methods:Forty-four patients with neurogenic bladder disorders after a spinal cord injury were divided at random into a 5Hz group ( n=14), a 20Hz group ( n=15), and a sham stimulation group ( n=15). In addition to conventional bladder control training, the 5Hz and 20Hz groups were given 20 minutes of FMS of the sacral 3 nerve root at the appropriate frequency five days a week for 4 weeks. The sham stimulation group was not given any stimulation. A detailed urination diary was kept during the treatment, and before and after the 4 weeks, everyone′s bladder pressure volume was assessed and an electromyogram was recorded. Results:After the treatment those in the 5Hz and 20Hz groups had improved significantly in terms of average bladder capacity, bladder pressure, residual urine volume, daily number of urethral catheterizations, daily micturition frequency, single urine output, H-reflex latency, and the amplitude and incubation period of the F wave. Those in the sham stimulation group showed no consistent improvement in any of these indicators. Moreover, the average residual urine volume, daily urination frequency and H-reflex latency and amplitude of the 20Hz group were significantly better than those of the 5Hz group.Conclusions:Magnetic stimulation of the S3 nerve roots can effectively improve the urination of persons with neurogenic bladder disorders after a spinal cord injury. The preferred frequency is 20Hz.
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Objective:To observe the effect of repeated, bilateral administration of high-frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in treating post-stroke dysphagia.Methods:Forty-five persons with post-stroke dysphagia were randomly divided into a bilateral group ( n=14 after one dropout), an affected group ( n=15) and a healthy group ( n=15). All received 30 minutes of conventional swallowing rehabilitation training 5 times a week for 2 weeks from a speech therapist. Those in the affected group also received 5Hz rTMS applied to the motor cortex controlling the suprachyoid muscle group. The bilateral group received the same stimulation bilaterally with the same duration and treatment course. Videofluoroscopy was used to assess their swallowing before and after the 2 weeks of treatment. It was rated using the penetration-aspiration scale (PAS) and the functional swallowing disorder scale (FDS). Surface electromyography was employed to evaluate suprachyoid muscle function. Cortical excitability was assessed by measuring the resting motor threshold (RMT) of the unaffected hemisphere. Results:After the treatment, the average PAS, FDS and muscle function values had improved significantly for all three groups, but significant RMT differences were observed only between the bilateral and the unaffected group. Significant differences in the average FDS and PAS scores were observed after the treatment, as well as significant changes in FDS and muscle function between the affected group and the other two groups. The average FDS scores before and after treatment were significantly different between the unaffected and bilateral group, with the former scoring significantly better than the latter. But no significant differences in the average PAS scores were observed after the treatment.Conclusions:5Hz rTMS of either the unaffected or affected cerebral cortex (or bilateral) can effectively improve the swallowing function of persons with post-stroke dysphagia. Bilateral stimulation has the greatest therapeutic effect, followed by stimulation of the unaffected cerebral cortex.
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Objective:To explore the effect of high-frequency and low-frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on the unaffected pharyngeal motor cortex of dysphagic stroke survivors.Methods:Forty-two stroke survivors with dysphagia were enrolled and randomly divided into a high-frequency stimulation group ( n=14), a low-frequency stimulation group ( n=13), and a sham group ( n=15). All received conventional swallowing training. The high- and low-frequency stimulation groups additionally received 250 pulses of 5Hz or 1Hz rTMS over the cortical representation of the mylohyoid muscle on the unaffected side daily for 2 consecutive weeks. In the sham group, sham rTMS was applied with identical protocols. Before and after the intervention, all subjects were subjected to a videofluoroscopic swallowing study and surface electromyography (sEMG). They were also evaluated using the fuctional dysphagia scale (FDS) and the penetration aspiration scale (PAS). Results:After the intervention, a significant improvement was observed in the average PAS, FDS and sEMG results in both rTMS groups compared with the sham control group. The average FDS score of the high-frequency stimulation group had improved significantly more than that of the low-frequency group.Conclusions:rTMS of the contra-lesional cortical representation of the mylohyoid muscle at either 5Hz or 1Hz can effectively improve dysphagia post-stroke. The higher frequency gives superior results.
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Objective To observe the effect of injecting botulinum toxin type A ( BTX-A) into the tibialis anterior muscle on spasm and the walking function of stroke survivors with spastic foot drop and strephenopodia. Methods Fifty-six stroke survivors with spastic foot drop and strephenopodia were randomly divided into a tibialis anterior injection group ( Group TA) and a conventional injection group ( Group CG) , each of 28. Both groups had 50 U of BTX-A injected into the medial-lateral heads of the affected gastrocnemius and soleus muscles, and 35 U in-jected into each of two sites in the tibialis posterior. Group TA was additionally injected with 30 U in the tibialis ante-rior. Before the injection, as well as 2, 4 and 12 weeks afterward, both groups were evaluated using the modified Ashworth scale (MAS) for the plantar flexors and varus muscle groups, a 10-minute walking test (10 m-WT), a simple Fugl-Meyer assessment ( FMA) of the lower limb and a timed up and go test ( TUG) . Results Before the injection, there were no statistically significant differences in the average MAS, 10 m-WT, FMA or TUG results be-tween the two groups. After 2 weeks, however, the average MAS score of both groups had decreased significantly, and that improvement was maintained at 4 and 12 weeks after the injection. Moreover, 2, 4 and 12 weeks after the injec-tion, significant differences in the average MAS score were observed between the two groups. The average 10m-WT re-sults, FMA scores and TUG times of both groups also improved significantly, but there were significant differences between the two groups′10m-WT times and FMA scores after 2 and 4 weeks. Conclusions Injecting a small dose of BTX-A into the tibialis anterior can further relieve spasm in the tibialis anterior muscle and improve the walking a-bility of stroke survivors with spastic foot drop and strephenopodia.