The Correlation between Crossed Cerebellar Diaschisis and Motor Impairment of Hemiplegic Upper Extremity in Stroke Patients

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between crossed cerebellar diaschisis (CCD) and motor evoked potentials (MEPs) and to study the relationship between CCD and the severity and prognosis of stroke. METHOD: 28 patients with first-ever unilateral stroke were recruited for this study. The central motor conduction times (CMCTs) were obtained from Abductor pollicis brevis (APB) and Abductor hallucis (AH) by recording MEPs. The existence of CCD was evaluated by single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) of brain. The National Institutes of Health stroke scale (NIHSS), Motricity Index (MI), and functional outcome scales were measured. RESULTS: The presence of CCD correlated significantly with "not evoked" MEPs in upper extremity (p 0.05) and volume of brain lesion (p> 0.05). There was a significant correlation between the presence of CCD and lower MI score of upper extremity (p <0.05). CONCLUSION: The presence of CCD would indicate the damage on descending motor pathways and be associated with the severe motor impairment of upper extremity in stroke patients.