Virtual touch tissue imaging quantification in evaluation of rehabilitation effect in children with spastic cerebral palsy / 中国医学影像技术

ABSTRACT

Objective: To explore the value of virtual touch tissue imaging quantification (VTIQ) in evaluation of rehabilitation effect of children with spastic cerebral palsy. Methods: Forty spastic children were randomly divided into 2 groups (each n=20). Children treated with rehabilitation training and botulinum toxin A (BTA) injection were assigned into BTA group, while those treated with rehabilitation training, BTA injection and extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) were assigned into BTA+ESWT group. The modified Ashworth scale (MAS) and shear wave velocity (SWV) using VTIQ were assessed before treatment and 1 week, 4 weeks, 12 weeks and 16 weeks after treatment. Results: There were total significant differences in MAS scores and SWV before and after treatment in both 2 groups (all P<0.01). Compared with those before treatment, MAS score and SWV in BTA group decreased to the lowest 4 weeks after treatment (both P<0.05), while MAS score and SWV in BTA+ESWT group significantly decreased 1 week after treatment (both P<0.05). With time going after treatment, MAS scores and SWV in both groups increased gradually, but the differences were still statistically significant compared with those before treatment (all P<0.05). Conclusion: VTIQ can objectively and quantitatively evaluate the hardness of spastic muscles, therefore can be used as an effective method for evaluation rehabilitation treatment of children with spastic cerebral palsy.