American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation
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Am J Phys Med Rehabil · Sep 2003
Prognostic factors for survival in metastatic spinal cord compression: a retrospective study in a rehabilitation setting.
Metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC) occurs in 5-10% of all patients with cancer, and it is associated with short survival durations. Patients with MSCC may also have functional loss and require rehabilitation before discharge from the hospital. The purposes of this retrospective study were to identify clinical and social variables that had a significant impact on survival of patients with MSCC who underwent inpatient rehabilitation. ⋯ This study suggests that rehabilitation programs for patients with MSCC should be of short duration and that early referral (i.e., when the patient is diagnosed of MSCC) to the rehabilitation service should be encouraged.
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Am J Phys Med Rehabil · Sep 2003
Correlation of standardized testing results with success on the 2001 American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Part 1 Board Certificate Examination.
To determine if standardized testing results and other factors correlate with success on the 2001 American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation part 1 board certification examination (POE). ⋯ Residents who were successful on previous standardized tests scored well on the POE. Quartile ranking on Self Assessment Examination and USMLE or National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners success was found to correlate significantly with POE quartile rank. This information may be helpful for future POE preparation and prospective candidate selection for physical medicine and rehabilitation.
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Am J Phys Med Rehabil · Jul 2003
Comparative StudyPhysical medicine and rehabilitation consultation: relationships with acute functional outcome, length of stay, and discharge planning after traumatic brain injury.
Patients hospitalized with traumatic brain injury comprise a large portion of the population treated at trauma centers, and physiatry consultants evaluate many traumatic brain injury patients in this setting. The purpose of this study was to delineate relationships between physical medicine and rehabilitation consultation in this population and acute functional outcome, length of stay, and discharge planning. ⋯ Early physical medicine and rehabilitation consultation may positively impact functional status and length of stay for patients with traumatic brain injury during acute hospitalization. Additional work is needed to determine how physical medicine and rehabilitation consultation impacts rehabilitation-specific medical issues, long-term functional outcome, and healthcare costs.
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Am J Phys Med Rehabil · Jul 2003
Case ReportsDiffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging of microstructural abnormalities in children with brain injury.
We present two pediatric cases demonstrating that diffusion tensor imaging is more efficient at revealing microstructural abnormalities of the brain than conventional magnetic resonance imaging because it enables measurements of the directionality and integrity of white matter fiber tracts. One patient suffered from left hemiparesis, and the other had right hemiparesis. However, whereas conventional magnetic resonance imaging showed only the findings of traumatic contusional hemorrhages in the left temporal and parietal lobes of the first patient and focal encephalomalacia in the left anterior thalamus of the second patient, diffusion tensor imaging successfully disclosed microstructural abnormalities in the right cerebral peduncle of the midbrain of the first patient and in the posterior limb of the left internal capsule of the second. Theses two cases demonstrate that diffusion tensor imaging is more capable than magnetic resonance imaging at detecting the microstructural pathologic lesions that are responsible for clinical motor weakness, especially when conventional magnetic resonance imaging has failed to detect subtle structural abnormalities.
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Am J Phys Med Rehabil · Jun 2003
Interrater reliability of the International Association for the Study of Pain and Tunks' spinal cord injury pain classification schemes.
To determine the interrater reliability of the International Association for the Study of Pain and Tunks' spinal cord injury pain classification schemes. ⋯ Consistent with our previous research using the Donovan spinal cord injury pain classification scheme, considerable variability between raters was demonstrated using the International Association for the Study of Pain and Tunks' spinal cord injury pain classification schemes.