Saturday, October 14, 2017

The Potential Role of Thermography in Determining the Efficacy of Stroke Rehabilitation

Fucking useless. No references to the stroke protocols used.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1052305717304664

Introduction

Maintaining good physiological circulation in the extremities requires an optimally functioning muscle pump. Stroke symptoms indicate a change in venous circulation. In this study, changes were measured in joint function and microcirculation, and the correlation between them was examined.

Setting

Physiotherapy Center, Ss. Cosmas and Damian Rehabilitation Institute, Visegrád, Hungary.

Methodology

Sixteen randomly selected poststroke patients with hemiparesis affecting mainly the upper extremities began undergoing rehabilitation 13 ± 4 days following stroke. Thermograms were taken with a Fluke Ti 20 (Fluke Corporation, WA) pretreatment and post-treatment, and a physiotherapy documentation form was completed. Treatment comprised 15 physiotherapy, massage, and galvanic therapy sessions per patient,(Where do I find this protocol?) with the side exhibiting no neurological symptoms as a control.

Results

Joint function showed significant improvement on the affected side (P < .05). Thermographic examinations revealed microcirculatory dysfunction in the affected extremities in 100% of the cases. Following treatment, temperature increased significantly (P ≥ .5°C) on the affected side. A strong correlation (r) was observed between joint function and temperature change (P < .05).

Conclusion

Thermography is shown to be a reliable method for monitoring the effects of stroke rehabilitation treatment. Thermographic testing may enable us to predict the course of the trauma and the efficacy of treatment even at the acute stage.

Key Words

  • Stroke;
  • microcirculation;
  • thermography;
  • rehabilitation
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Address correspondence to Béla Hegedűs, MD, Ss. Cosmas and Damian Rehabilitation Institute, 2025 Visegrád, Gizella telep, Visegrád, Hungary.

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