BACKGROUND Following a stroke, 55-75% of patients experience upper limb problems in the longer term. Upper limb spasticity may cause pain, deformity and reduced function, affecting mood and independence. Botulinum toxin is used increasingly to treat focal spasticity, but its impact on upper limb function after stroke is unclear.The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical and cost effectiv...

BACKGROUND Upper limb apraxia is a common disorder associated with stroke that can reduce patients' independence levels in activities of daily living and increase levels of disability. Traditional rehabilitation programs designed to promote the recovery of upper limb function have mainly focused on restorative or compensatory approaches. However, no previous studies have been completed that eva...

An unusual origin of the common interosseous artery is reported in the paper. During educational dissection of a 37-year-old male, a rare variation in the origin of common interosseous artery of the right upper limb was observed. The common interosseous artery directly separated from radial artery. The right anterior interosseous artery is continued from common interosseous artery. Anterior and...

The Motor Assessment Scale (MAS) and the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) are commonly used in Australian rehabilitation centres but there have been few systematic studies using them to measure recovery after stroke, especially with regard to upper limb function. The aims of this study were to provide a profile of upper limb recovery in a non-surgical stroke population using measures of im...

background: h-reflex is a valuable electrophysiological technique for assessing nerve conduction through entire length of afferent and efferent pathways, especially nerve roots and proximal segments of peripheral nerves. the aim of this study was to investigate the relation between normal values of flexor carpi radialis (fcr) h-reflex latency, upper limb length and age in normal subjects, and t...

This study evaluates stroke patients with upper-limb (UL) motor deficits using measures of impairment and "activity limitation" to quantify recovery of UL function poststroke and to identify predictors of UL function and predictors of UL recovery following stroke. The study also compares the recovery of UL function with that of the lower limb (LL). Measures of impairment and "activity limitatio...

background: arterial damage is sometimes associated with supracondylar fractures of the humerus. diagnosis and careful management of the fracture and arterial repair is crucial. objectives: the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and outcome of supracondylar fractures of the humerus with signs and symptoms of limb ischemia, before and after arterial decompression or arterial recon...

Editor—We thank Dr Dolenska for her letter and completely agree that the finding with respect to the predictive value of patient age is highly counterintuitive. Age is generally accepted as a powerful predictor of survival in many contexts. However, our results would suggest that it is the decline in fitness with advancing age which is the real predictor, rather than age per se. We do not belie...

OBJECTIVES To describe arterial and venous injuries and their management and short-term outcomes in a wartime hospital. DESIGN Retrospective review of patients with vascular injuries. Mechanism, location, method of repair, and outcomes were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics. SETTING The 31st Combat Support Hospital, Operation Iraqi Freedom. PATIENTS A total of 153 patie...