Trunk muscles in persons with hemiparetic stroke evaluated with computed tomography

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Neurology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Hemiparetic stroke commonly leads to muscle atrophy and functional deficits.
• Trunk muscle asymmetry is a potential indicator of motor impairment severity after stroke.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate side differences in bilateral trunk muscles in hemiparetic stroke patients.
• To correlate these differences with impairment and disability metrics.
• To evaluate longitudinal changes in trunk muscle size during rehabilitation.

Main Methods:

• Computed tomography (CT) scans were used to measure paravertebral and thigh muscle cross-sectional areas in 83 inpatients.
• Measurements were taken at admission and discharge.
• Patients were grouped based on paravertebral muscle side difference (contralateral vs. ipsilateral) and analyzed for differences in the Stroke Impairment Assessment Set (SIAS), Functional Independence Measure (FIM), and walk velocity.

Main Results:

• Paravertebral muscles showed significantly greater cross-sectional area on the side contralateral to the brain lesion, unlike thigh muscles.
• Paravertebral muscle size increased significantly from admission to discharge.
• Patients with greater contralateral paravertebral muscle size (Group I) exhibited significantly lower SIAS, FIM scores, and walk velocity.

Conclusions:

• Larger contralateral paravertebral muscle cross-sectional area is a characteristic finding in hemiparetic stroke patients.
• This asymmetry is associated with the degree of neurological impairment and functional limitations.
• Trunk muscle size and symmetry may serve as valuable indicators in stroke rehabilitation.