Changes in Lower Extremity Muscle Quantity and Quality in Patients with Subacute Stroke

Objective@#To analyze the changes in muscle mass and quality with time on the paretic and non-paretic sides in subacute stroke patients and identify correlations between the variation of muscle mass and quality and lower limb functions. @*Methods@#Thirty hemiplegia patients diagnosed with stroke participated in this study. To evaluate poststroke muscle changes, longitudinal measurement of muscle mass and quality was conducted with bilateral lower limbs. The elastic shear modulus was measured using shear wave elastography and muscle thickness (MT) of rectus femoris, vastus intermedius, vastus lateralis (VL), vastus medialis, tibialis anterior, and gastrocnemius (GCM) muscles. Functional evaluation was performed using Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Five Times Sit to Stand Test (FTSST). Follow-up was performed at discharge. The muscle mass and quality were compared according to time. We analyzed whether muscle quantity and quality were related to function. @*Results@#MT demonstrated no significant change with time. The elastic shear modulus increased significantly in the paretic VL and GCM muscles and did not change significantly in the muscles on the non-paretic side. Correlation analysis detected that elastic shear modulus in the VL has a cross-sectional negative relationship between BBS and positive relationship between FTSST. There were significant correlation between variation of FTSST and the variation of the elastic shear modulus in VL. @*Conclusion@#Only paretic VL and GCM muscle quality changed in subacute stroke patients and muscle’s property related to lower limb functions. Therefore, the lower extremity requires an approach to muscle quality rather than quantity for subacute stroke patients.

Kennedy’s Disease with Chronic Low Back Pain and Muscle Weakness

Kennedy’s disease (KD) or bulbospinal muscular atrophy is an uncommon x-linked recessive genetic disorder. Its diagnosis is challenging due to its wide array of clinical manifestations and difficulty distinguishing it from other motor neuron diseases.Thus, diagnosis is confirmed through DNA testing. 52-year-old male patient presented to the hospital with chronic low back pain (LBP) and muscle weakness. The patient had mild weakness in some proximal muscles, increased deep tendon reflex.Lumbar spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed degenerative changes. Motor nerve conduction test results showed close to the normal. Sensory nerve conduction test results showed decreased latency and amplitude in most nerves. Needle electromyography revealed fasciculation potentials, diffuse fibrillation potentials, and positive sharp waves were detected. Thus, molecular genetic testing was performed. Consequently, KD was diagnosed. These results suggest the importance of detailed history taking and neurological examination even for patients with chronic LBP to rule out severe diseases.

A Case Report of Golf-Swing-Induced T2∼T3 Clay-Shoveler’s Fractures

Clay-shoveler’s fractures are rare stress-type avulsion fractures of the spinous processes especially in sports. There have been two case reports that discussed clay-shoveler’s fractures in golf. A 36-year-old beginner golfer presented with a pain in the back after practicing golf swing. No fractures were detected using cervical radiography; however, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed T2∼T3 spinous process fractures. The patient was treated conservatively and his pain subsided. The mechanism of injury is speculated to that of clay-shoveler’s fractures. Therefore, if a golfer suffers persistent pain in the cervicothoracic region, clay-shoveler’s fracture is one possibility to consider.

A Case Report of Golf-Swing-Induced T2∼T3 Clay-Shoveler’s Fractures

Clay-shoveler’s fractures are rare stress-type avulsion fractures of the spinous processes especially in sports. There have been two case reports that discussed clay-shoveler’s fractures in golf. A 36-year-old beginner golfer presented with a pain in the back after practicing golf swing. No fractures were detected using cervical radiography; however, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed T2∼T3 spinous process fractures. The patient was treated conservatively and his pain subsided. The mechanism of injury is speculated to that of clay-shoveler’s fractures. Therefore, if a golfer suffers persistent pain in the cervicothoracic region, clay-shoveler’s fracture is one possibility to consider.

Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy and Quantitative Ultrasonographic Evaluation of the Rheologic Effect in the Patients with Post-stroke Upper Limb Spasticity: A Case Report

Post-stroke spasticity is a common complication that causes limitations of function, pain and decrement of the quality of life. Although botulinum toxin injection and anti-spastic medications are effective and widely used for the management of post-stroke spasticity, clinical applications are often limited in stroke patients because of their invasiveness and systemic side effects. Alternatively, we performed upper limb muscle-belly extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) to resolve problematic spasticity in two subacute stroke patients. Serial quantitative ultrasonographic measurements of spastic muscle were conducted to investigate the rheological changes in chronological order by echogenicity comparison. After 4 sessions of weekly ESWT, gradual decrements of clinical spasticity parameters and muscle echogenicity were observed and lasted for 1 week after the cessation of the therapy. ESWT may be a useful alternative management for treating post-stroke spasticity.

Measurements of Multifidus Signal Intensity in Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Patients with Unilateral Lumbar Radiculopathy

OBJECTIVE: To quantitatively evaluate the side- and level-specific change of the multifidus muscle in unilateral radicular pain caused by lumbar disc herniation using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).METHOD: Sixty-nine patients with L4-5 disc herniation who underwent electrodiagnostic study and spine MRI were enrolled and divided into the radiculopathy group (n=30) and the control group (n=39) according to the presence of L5 radiculopathy. The radiculopathy group was subdivided into the paraspinalis group (n=12) and the limb group (n=18) according to whether or not paraspinalis muscle was denervated. The cross-sectional area (CSA) and signal intensity (SI) of the multifidus muscle were measured bilaterally at L4-5 and L5-S1 middle intervertebral levels on axial T2-weighted MRI.RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the CSA of the multifidus muscle between the radiculopathy group and the control group. In the radiculopathy group, multifidus SI was greater than the control group on the affected side and below the level of herniation (p=0.015). In the subgroup comparison, affected side L5-S1 multifidus SI was significantly different between the paraspinalis group and the control group (p=0.001), but not between the limb group and the control group (p>0.05).CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that quantitative measurement of multifidus SI may be indicative of the location of nerve root compromise through side- and level- specific changes.

The Validity of Two Neuromotor Assessments for Predicting Motor Performance at 12 Months in Preterm Infants

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the validity of the Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP) and general movements (GMs) assessment for predicting Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) score at 12 months in preterm infants. METHODS: A total of 44 preterm infants who underwent the GMs and TIMP at 1 month and 3 months of corrected age (CA) and whose motor performance was evaluated using AIMS at 12 months CA were included. GMs were judged as abnormal on basis of poor repertoire or cramped-synchronized movements at 1 month CA and abnormal or absent fidgety movement at 3 months CA. TIMP and AIMS scores were categorized as normal (average and low average and >5th percentile, respectively) or abnormal (below average and far below average or < 5th percentile, respectively). Correlations between GMs and TIMP scores at 1 month and 3 months CA and the AIMS classification at 12 months CA were examined. RESULTS: The TIMP score at 3 months CA and GMs at 1 month and 3 months CA were significantly correlated with the motor performance at 12 months CA. However, the TIMP score at 1 month CA did not correlate with the AIMS classification at 12 months CA. For infants with normal GMs at 3 months CA, the TIMP score at 3 months CA correlated significantly with the AIMS classification at 12 months CA. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that neuromotor assessment using GMs and TIMP could be useful to identify preterm infants who are likely to benefit from intervention.

Delay of the Blink Reflex in Patients Receiving Platinum-Analogue Chemotherapy

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the presence of cranial neuropathy in patients with platinum-analogue chemotherapy using electrodiagnostic evaluations. METHODS: Thirty-nine patients whose chemotherapy was completed within a month and 40 control subjects were enrolled in the study. Electrodiagnostic evaluation was performed using sensory and motor nerve conduction studies and blink reflex studies, in addition to the two-point discrimination test. RESULTS: The chemotherapy group had significantly longer latencies of bilateral R1 responses (left p<0.001; right p<0.001) and greater distance in two-point discrimination (p<0.001) compared to the control group. In the subgroup with peripheral polyneuropathy, the left R1 (p=0.01), both R2i (left p=0.02; right p=0.03) and the left R2c (p=0.02) were prolonged relative to those without the polyneuropathy, and both R1 (left p<0.001; right p<0.001), R2i (left p=0.01; right p=0.03), and the left R2c (p=0.01) were prolonged relative to the controls. On the other hand, the subgroup without the polyneuropathy showed only prolongation of both R1 (left p=0.006; right p<0.001) relative to the controls. CONCLUSION: In the present study, comparison of blink reflex and two-point discrimination showed the likelihood of subclinical cranial neuropathy following platinum-analogue chemotherapy. Cranial neuropathy caused by platinum agents was more profound in patients with peripheral polyneuropathy and may be dependent on the cumulative dose of the drug. The blink reflex may be of value in detecting subclinical cranial neuropathy in patients undergoing platinum-analogue chemotherapy.