Article

OBJECTIVE: To document temporal recovery of upper extremity dexterity and
establish predictors of limb dexterity in a cohort of stroke patients in the
first year after stroke. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SUBJECTS: One hundred
patients with a first-ever ischemic stroke admitted to a rehabilitation centre.
METHODS: Assessment of upper extremity dexterity, motor power and selfcare
function using the Motor Assessment Scale (MAS), Upper Extremity Motor Index
(UEMI) and Modified Barthel Index (MBI) respectively. RESULTS: Eighteen percent,
25.5% and 31.6% of patients recovered limb dexterity at 3, 6 and 12 months after
stroke respectively. Patients who recovered dexterity late (>/=6 months after
stroke) were significantly younger with lower rehabilitation admission UEMI
scores than those who recovered dexterity early.
The UEMI score was the most
significant correlate of limb dexterity at all follow up periods. Recovery of
limb dexterity at 12 months was predicted by UEMI (OR1.54, 95% CI 1.13-2.10) and
MBI (OR 1.03, 95% CI 1.00-1.07) scores on admission to rehabilitation.
CONCLUSIONS: In this study, 31.6% of patients recovered upper extremity dexterity
at 12 months after stroke. Although late recovery of dexterity occurs only in a
small proportion of patients, this finding is still pertinent given the
significant impact of dexterity on upper limb and selfcare function.

Langue : ANGLAIS