Article

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the internal and external responsiveness and recovery
profiles of the Graded Redefined Assessment of Strength, Sensibility, and
Prehension (GRASSP) instrument in revealing changes in upper limb function within
the first year following cervical spinal cord injury (SCI). METHOD: A European
prospective, longitudinal, multicenter study assessing the GRASSP at 1, 3, 6, and
12 months after cervical SCI. Subtests of GRASSP were compared to the upper
extremity motor (UEMS) and light touch scores (LT) according to the International
Standards of Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI), the
Spinal Cord Independence Measure self-care subscore (SCIM-SS), as well as a
clinician-rated outcome measure (CROM) of clinical relevance. Data were analyzed
for GRASSP responsiveness and recovery rate over time. RESULTS: Seventy-four
participants entered the study. GRASSP subtests proved responsive (standardized
response mean [SRM] ranged from 0.79 to 1.48 for strength, 0.50 to 1.03 for
prehension, and 0.14 to 0.64 for sensation) between all examination time points.
In comparison, UEMS and LT showed lower responsiveness (SRM UEMS ranged from 0.69
to 1.29 and SRM LT ranged from 0.30 to -0.13). All GRASSP subtests revealed
significant, moderate-to-excellent correlations with UEMS, LT, and SCIM-SS at
each time point, and changes in GRASSP subtests were in accordance with the CROM.
GRASSP prehension and motor recovery was largest between 1 and 3 months.
CONCLUSION: The GRASSP showed excellent responsiveness, detecting distinct
changes in strength and prehension relating to the severity of cervical SCI. It
detected clinically significant changes complimentary to the ISNCSCI and SCIM-SS
assessments.
CI - (c) The Author(s) 2015.

Langue : ANGLAIS