Spinal cord
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Comparative Study
Effects on age on spinal cord lesion patients' rehabilitation.
The present study was undertaken to focus the age-related characteristics of a population of traumatic and nontraumatic spinal cord patients. ⋯ Older individuals with spinal cord injury and disease do well, but have a less favourable outcome in regard to walking, bladder and bowel independence than younger subjects and have more associated medical problems. Different rehabilitative strategies, therefore, are required for older subjects, which maximises the shorter length of stay and provides the necessary medical care and increased physical assistant resources following discharge.
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Comparative Study
Dysphagia in patients with acute cervical spinal cord injury.
Longitudinal observational. ⋯ Dysphagia of various severities was present in the majority of these patients with CSCI together with respiratory insufficiency. FEES allows for the detection and classification of dysphagia as well as for an evaluation of the therapeutic management. Under interdisciplinary treatment the prognosis of dysphagia is good.
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Comparative Study
Test-retest reliability of the Donovan spinal cord injury pain classification scheme.
Videotape rating by independent viewers. ⋯ Pain classification within each rater generally showed adequate test-retest reliability when using the Donovan SCI pain classification scheme. However, reliability estimates of agreement across raters highlight the ongoing need to exam and improve the psychometric characteristics of the various pain classification schemes.
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Prospective study on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and radiographic findings of the cervical spine. ⋯ The transverse area of the cervical spinal cord measured by MRI decreased with age, while RAPT remained unchanged. The bony spinal canal became narrower with age. The spinal cord area and the shapes of the spinal cord were independent from the spinal canal diameter in asymptomatic subjects. These facts should be considered when evaluating radiological findings in patients with cervical spinal disorders.
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Complex regional pain syndromes (CRPS, formerly reflex sympathetic dystrophy and causalgia) are neuropathic pain conditions of one extremity developing inadequately after a trauma. The initiating trauma affects primarily the extremity, but can also be a central lesion (e.g., spinal cord injury, stroke). CRPS is clinically characterized by sensory, autonomic and motor disturbances. ⋯ After a primary central lesion, secondary peripheral changes in the paretic extremity are suggested to be important in initiating a CRPS. Though there is no diagnostic gold standard, careful clinical evaluation and additional test procedures should lead to an adequate diagnosis. An early diagnosis and an interdisciplinary approach are important for optimal and successful treatment.