Factors Associated With Long-Term Improvement of Gait After Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy.

Objective: To identify factors associated with long-term improvement in gait in children after selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR).

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: University medical center.

Evolution of gait in adolescents and young adults with spastic diplegia after selective dorsal rhizotomy in childhood: A 10 year follow-up study.

Background: Short-term benefit on gait of selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) surgery, which relieves spasticity of the lower extremities has been demonstrated in children with cerebral palsy (CP). However very little is known of the evolution of gait when patients become adolescents and young adults.

Research Question: How does the gait pattern evolve in adolescents and young adults who underwent SDR during childhood?

Methods: A longitudinal study was performed including 19 ambulant patients with spastic diplegia due to CP or other causes (mean age at SDR: 6.

Ribcage deformity and the altered breathing pattern in children with osteogenesis imperfecta.

Aim: Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) is a genetic disease characterized by bones fragility and progressive deformity. Life expectancy is reduced in the non-lethal most severe type III form before the age of 10 years. The main cause of death in OI is respiratory insufficiency resulting from impaired thoracic function worsened by ribcage deformity and scoliosis.

Evolution of respiratory function in Duchenne muscular dystrophy from childhood to adulthood.

In Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), it is still to be determined if specific timepoints can be identified during the natural evolution of respiratory dysfunction from childhood to adulthood and if scoliosis, steroid therapy and nocturnal noninvasive mechanical ventilation (NIMV) have any effect on it.In a 7-year retrospective study performed on 115 DMD patients (6-24 years), evaluated once or twice per year, with 574 visits in total, evolution mean curves of spirometry, lung volumes, spontaneous breathing and thoraco-abdominal pattern (measured by optoelectronic plethysmography) parameters were obtained by nonlinear regression model analysis.While predicted values of forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in 1 s, and peak expiratory flow decline continuously since childhood, during spontaneous breathing the following parameters become significantly different than normal in sequence: abdominal contribution to tidal volume (lower after 14.

Combined robotic-aided gait training and physical therapy improve functional abilities and hip kinematics during gait in children and adolescents with acquired brain injury.

Purpose: To evaluate the combined effect of robotic-aided gait training (RAGT) and physical therapy (PT) on functional abilities and gait pattern in children and adolescents exiting acquired brain injury (ABI), through functional clinical scales and 3D-Gait Analysis (GA).

Methods: A group of 23 patients with ABI underwent 20 sessions of RAGT in addition to traditional manual PT. All the patients were evaluated before and after the training by using the Gross Motor Function Measures (GMFM) and the Functional Assessment Questionnaire.

Alterations of thoraco-abdominal volumes and asynchronies in patients with spinal muscle atrophy type III.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is characterized by degeneration of motor neurons resulting in muscle weakness. For the mild type III form, a sub-classification into type IIIA and IIIB, based on age of motor impairment, was recently proposed. To investigate if SMA IIIA (more severe) and IIIB differ also in terms of respiratory function, thoracoabdominal kinematics was measured during quiet breathing, inspiration preceding cough and inspiratory capacity on 5 type IIIA and 9 type IIIB patients.

Determinants of cough efficiency in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Objective: With the progression of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) cough becomes inefficient leading to recurrent chest infections. Several factors determine the effectiveness of cough in DMD patients. The aim of this study was to investigate how weakened inspiratory muscles alter operating lung and thoraco-abdominal volumes and whether they contribute to cough efficiency.

Rib cage deformities alter respiratory muscle action and chest wall function in patients with severe osteogenesis imperfecta.

Background: Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is an inherited connective tissue disorder characterized by bone fragility, multiple fractures and significant chest wall deformities. Cardiopulmonary insufficiency is the leading cause of death in these patients.

Methods: Seven patients with severe OI type III, 15 with moderate OI type IV and 26 healthy subjects were studied.

Mechanical external work and recovery at preferred walking speed in obese subjects.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the mechanical external work (per kg) and pendular energy transduction at preferred walking speed (PWS) in obese versus normal body mass subjects to investigate whether obese adults adopt energy conserving gait mechanics.

Methods: The mechanical external work (Wext) and the fraction of mechanical energy recovered by the pendular mechanism (Rstep) were computed using kinematic data acquired by an optoelectronic system and were compared in 30 obese (OG; body mass index [BMI] = 39.6 +/- 0.

Gait pattern in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

We investigated the gait pattern of 21 patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), compared to 10 healthy controls through 3D Gait Analysis. An overall observation of gait pattern in our DMD patients when compared to controls confirmed the data previously reported for small dystrophic groups. An excessive anterior tilt of pelvis and abnormal knee pattern in loading response phase were found.

Analysis of the correlation between three methods used in the assessment of children with cerebral palsy.

The primary aim of this study was to assess the correlations between gait analysis, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) scores in children with cerebral palsy (CP). These common diagnostic tools were used to evaluate 21 children affected by CP (mean age: 6 years, range: 5-13 years; 8 females and 13 males; 5 left hemiplegics, 4 right hemiplegics, 12 diplegics). In particular, in order to compare gait analysis data with other diagnostic evaluations, the Normalcy Index (NI) was used.

Clinical implications of gait analysis in the rehabilitation of adult patients with "Prader-Willi" Syndrome: a cross-sectional comparative study ("Prader-Willi" Syndrome vs matched obese patients and healthy subjects).

Background: Being severely overweight is a distinctive clinical feature of Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS). PWS is a complex multisystem disorder, representing the most common form of genetic obesity. The aim of this study was the analysis of the gait pattern of adult subjects with PWS by using three-Dimensional Gait Analysis.

Gait analysis in children affected by myelomeningocele: comparison of the various levels of lesion.

The aim of this study was to utilise the gait analysis (GA) methodology to characterise the walking act in children with different levels of myelomeningocele. To this end, we analysed 30 children (mean age 11 +/- 3 years, still able to walk without ortheses) grouped according to the site of their neurological lesion (localised from L4 down to S5); ten healthy children (mean age 9 +/- 2 years) were also analysed for comparison. Of the many kinematic and kinetic parameters provided by GA, we focused on those providing a good correlation with the level of lesion.