Article

OBJECTIVE: To describe the impaired fine-motor skills in patients with traumatic
brain injury acquired in childhood. DESIGN: A total of 165 patients with
traumatic brain injury, aged 0-17 years, injured during the period 1987-1991,
were identified. Fifteen years post-injury a questionnaire was sent to the
patients. Twenty-six of the subjects had upper limb problems, 15 of whom agreed
to participate and 12 attended an evaluation. METHODS: The Sollerman test was
administered. This test consists of 20 activities, of which 7 hand-grips were
used (pulp-pinch, lateral pinch, tripod pinch, 5-finger pinch, diagonal,
transverse and spherical volar grip). Each sub-test was scored from 0 to 4
points. Each task must be performed within 20 s. The maximum score was 80.
Bimanual fine motor skills were classified by Bimanual Fine Motor Function
(BFMF). BFMF consists of 5 levels of function of each hand. Level I is normal
function, level II-V means subnormal function in an increasing grade.
Co-ordination, spasticity, 2PD and stereognosis were also measured. RESULTS: All
patients had subnormal results on the Sollerman test. Fifty-eight percent had
abnormal scores on the BFMF test. CONCLUSION: The Sollerman test seemed to be
reliable at picking up hand motor problems, as all subjects who reported such
problems scored subnormally. This is in contrast to the BFMF test findings, where
only 60% of our group scored subnormally.

Langue : ANGLAIS