ABSTRACT
Posterior spinal artery syndrome has a variable presentation and often poses a clinical challenge. We describe an acute posterior spinal artery syndrome in a man in his 60s with vascular risk factors, who presented with altered sensation in the left arm and left side of his torso but with normal tone, strength and deep tendon reflexes. MR imaging showed a left paracentral T2 hyperintense area affecting the posterior spinal cord at the level of C1. Diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) showed high signal intensity in the same location. He was medically managed as having ischaemic stroke and made a good recovery. Three-month MRI follow-up showed a persisting T2 lesion but the DWI changes had resolved, consistent with the time course for infarction. Posterior spinal artery stroke has a variable presentation and is probably under-recognised clinically, requiring careful attention to MR imaging for its diagnosis.
Subject(s)
Brain Ischemia , Spinal Cord Vascular Diseases , Stroke , Male , Humans , Brain Ischemia/complications , Stroke/complications , Spinal Cord/blood supply , Magnetic Resonance Imaging/adverse effects , Infarction/diagnostic imaging , Spinal Cord Vascular Diseases/complications , Spinal Cord Vascular Diseases/pathology , ArteriesABSTRACT
Abstract Upper limb hemiparesis is a common impairment following stroke and can affect interjoint coordination. Motor imagery training is one treatment strategy. However, motor imagery can use visual or kinesthetic modalities and there has been a lack of research comparing the effectiveness of these modalities when treating the upper limb. The aim of this study was to compare visual and kinesthetic motor imagery in improving interjoint coordination in the hemiparetic index finger. Fifteen stroke survivors with upper limb hemiparesis were allocated to groups using kinesthetic or visual motor imagery, or a control group using guided relaxation. Reaching and grasping movements of the upper limb were captured using optoelectronic motion capture. Interjoint coordination of the hemiparetic index finger was analysed using the index of temporal coordination. No significant differences were found for interjoint coordination following treatment in either condition. Future work should focus on comparing kinesthetic and visual motor imagery in the rehabilitation of more proximal upper limb joints.
Resumo A hemiparesia do membro superior é uma incapacidade comum após o AVC e pode afetar a coordenação das articulações interfalângicas. A terapia por imagens motoras é uma estratégia de tratamento. No entanto, essa terapia de imagem motora pode usar modalidades visuais ou cinestésicas e há uma escassez de pesquisas que comparem a eficácia dessas modalidades no tratamento do membro superior. O objetivo deste estudo foi comparar a terapia por imagem viso-motora e cinestésica na melhoria da coordenação interfalângica no dedo indicador hemiparético de pessoas com AVC. Quinze participantes com hemiparesia de membro superior foram alocados em grupos cuja terapia foi por imagens cinestésicas ou viso-motoras, e um grupo controle cuja terapia foi de relaxamento guiado. Movimentos de alcance e preensão com o membro superior foram capturados por meio de captura de movimento optoeletrônica. A coordenação interfalângica do dedo indicador hemiparético foi analisada por meio do instrumento "temporal coordination index". Nenhuma diferença significativa foi encontrada para a coordenação interfalângica após o tratamento em qualquer condição. O trabalho futuro deve se concentrar na comparação das imagens cinestésicas e viso-motoras na reabilitação das articulações mais proximais dos membros superiores.
