The journal of spinal cord medicine
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To examine the role of reflex activity in spasticity and the relationship between peak passive torque, Ashworth Scale (AS), and Spasm Frequency Scale (SFS) of the knee flexors and extensors during the measurement of spasticity using an isokinetic dynamometer in children with spinal cord injury (SCI). ⋯ The role of increased reflexes in spasticity needs further examination. Isokinetic dynamometry may be measuring a different aspect of spasticity than the AS and SFS do in children with SCI.
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To determine whether 9 weeks of locomotor training (LT) results in changes in muscle strength and alterations in muscle size and activation after chronic incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI). ⋯ Nine weeks of LT resulted in positive alterations in the KE and PF muscle groups that included an increase in muscle size, improved voluntary activation, and an improved ability to generate both peak and explosive torque about the knee and ankle joints.
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Review Case Reports
Cervical extradural meningioma: case report and literature review.
Extradural lesions are most commonly metastatic neoplasms. Extradural meningioma accounts for 2.7 to 10% of spinal neoplasms and most commonly is found in the thoracic spine. ⋯ Meningiomas should be considered in the differential diagnosis of contrast-enhancing lesions in the cervical spine.
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When venous thromboembolism (VTE) includes deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), patients with acute traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) have the highest incidence of VTE among all hospitalized groups, with PE the third most common cause of death. Although low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) outperforms low-dose unfractionated heparin (LDUH) in other patient populations, the evidence in SCI remains less robust. ⋯ There continues to be an absence of definitive evidence for dalteparin (or other LMWH) over LDUH as the choice for VTE prophylaxis in patients with SCI. Novel approaches to VTE prophylaxis are urgently required for this population, whose risk of fatal PE has not decreased over the last 25 years.
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To determine the reliability and repeatability of the motor and sensory examination of the International Standards for Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) in trained examiners. ⋯ The summed scores for motor, LT, and PP in subjects with complete SCI have high inter-rater reliability and small repeatability values. These measures are appropriately reliable for use in clinical trials involving serial neurological examinations with multiple examiners. Further research in subjects with incomplete SCI is needed to determine whether repeatability is acceptably small.