RATIONALE Spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma (SSEH) is a rare but highly disabling neurological emergency. The initial presentations are variable. Most patients of SSEH present with paraplegia or tetraplegia clinically, but recurrent hemiparesis with complete spontaneous recovery, mimicking transient ischemic attack (TIA), is a very rare initial presentation of SSEH. PATIENT CONCERNS A 71-y...

Patients with tetraplegia may have various degrees of spasticity in the hand ranging from a completely clenched fist to reduced control of grip at triggered spasticity. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the functional effect of the distal ulnar intrinsic release procedure to reduce intrinsic tightness. Seventeen patients with tetraplegia (37 fingers) and with prominent intrinsi...

PURPOSE Analysis of the incidence of congenital brain malformations in children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP) in a hospital-based study. MATERIAL AND METHODS The present study included 74 boys and 56 girls with spastic tetraplegia, diplegia, and hemiplegia CP. Magnetic resonance imaging MRI findings were analyzed in children with CP. RESULTS Significant abnormalities relevant to the CP w...

STUDY OBJECTIVES Our objective was to compare under controlled conditions the effect of immersion on spirometry parameters of patients with tetraplegia vs those of normal individuals. DESIGN AND PATIENTS Twenty-three otherwise well tetraplegic subjects were compared to a control group of 11 similar healthy subjects before and during 5 to 15 min of isothermal immersion in water to shoulder lev...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the correlation between perceived performance in prioritized activities and physical conditions related to grip reconstruction. DESIGN Retrospective clinical outcome study. PATIENTS Forty-seven individuals with tetraplegia were included in the study. Each participant underwent tendon transfer surgery in the hand between November 2002 and April 2009 and had a complet...

This paper describes the course of wheelchair propulsion capacity (WPC) during rehabilitation of persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) and its relationship with personal and injury characteristics. We investigated 132 subjects with SCI (37 with tetraplegia) at the start of active rehabilitation (t1), 3 months later (t2), and at the end of clinical rehabilitation (t3). WPC was measured as the ma...

We reanalyzed data from five studies with similar or identical methodology performed by our laboratory to define normative values and determinants of physical capacity in individuals with tetraplegia and paraplegia. Each study consisted of a graded wheelchair exercise test to determine peak oxygen uptake and maximal power output and could additionally include a wheelchair sprint test to determi...

Biomechanical simulations of tendon transfers performed following tetraplegia suggest that surgical tensioning influences clinical outcomes. However, previous studies have focused on the biomechanical properties of only the transferred muscle. We developed simulations of the tetraplegic upper limb following transfer of the brachioradialis (BR) to the flexor pollicis longus (FPL) to examine the ...

OBJECTIVE To estimate sexual activity and sexual satisfaction in men with spinal cord lesion. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SUBJECTS All adult citizens in Helsinki with traumatic spinal cord lesion were identified. The final study group comprised 92 male subjects, corresponding to a participation rate of 79%. METHODS A structured questionnaire was sent to all subjects and they were invite...

OBJECTIVE To describe and evaluate the rehabilitation concept after posterior deltoid to triceps transfer in patients with tetraplegia. DESIGN Retrospective observational study. SETTING Rehabilitation units. PARTICIPANTS Patients with tetraplegia who had posterior deltoid to triceps tendon transfer and had muscle strength measurements 1 year postsurgery from 2009 to 2013 (N=44). INTERVE...