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Updated: May 20, 2026
Application of a Dual Upper Limb Task-Oriented Robotic System for the Functional Recovery of the Upper Limb in Stroke Patients
Published on: October 11, 2024
A case of very rapid progressive ataxia in rehabilitation setting
Bernardo Gialanella1, Paola Prometti, Cristina Ferlucci
1Operative Unit for Recovery and Functional Rehabilitation, Fondazione Salvatore Maugeri IRCCS, Via G. Mazzini 129, 25066 Lumezzane (BS), Italy. bernardo.gialanella@fsm.it
Aim:
To describe the unusual course of a patient with cerebellar ataxia who underwent rehabilitation.
Method:
At admission, the patient underwent motor rehabilitation and assessment by Tinetti Assessment, Klockgether Score, National Institute of Health Stroke Scale, Trunk Control Test, Fugl-Meyer Scale, Barthel Index, and Mini Mental State Examination.
Results:
The patient showed very rapid and severe decline of motor and functional tests during the first month of hospitalization and complete dependence in <2 months, despite rehabilitation. He died 10 months after onset, with a neuro-pathological diagnosis of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD).
Conclusion:
Our case report suggests that sporadic CJD must be hypothesized when ataxia worsens rapidly and severely despite rehabilitation.