Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0026838 (spasticity)
 6,471 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Dantrolene sodium or dantrolene1 is 1([5-(nitrophenyl)furfurylidend] amino) hydantoin sodium hydrate. It is indicated for use in chronic disorders characterised by skeletal muscle spasticity, such as spinal cord injury, stroke, cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis. Dantrolene is believed to act directly on the contractile mechanism of skeletal muscle to decrease the force of contraction in the absence of any demonstrated effects on neural pathways, on the neuromuscular junction, or on the excitable properties of the muscle fibre membranes. Controlled trials have demonstrated that dantrolene is superior to placebo in adults or children with spasticity from various causes, as evidenced by clinical assessments of disability and daily activities, and by muscle and reflex responses to mechanical and electrical stimulation. It is somewhat less effective in patients with multiple sclerosis than in those with spasticity from other causes. There has been a general clinical impression in controlled trials that dantrolene caused less sedation than would have been expected from therapeutically comparable doses of diazepam. In 2 controlled trials, there was no significant difference between dantrolene and diazepam in terms of reductions in spasticity, clonus, and hyperreflexia, but side-effects such as drowsiness and inco-ordination occurred significantly more frequently on diazepam. Long-term studies have indicated continuing benefit for patients taking dantrolene, though the incidence of side-effects has often been high and there has been a suggestion of exacerbation of seizures in children with cerebral palsy. Dantrolene may be of value in the medical treatment of spasm of the external urethral sphincter due to neurological and non-neurological disease, and animal studies suggest a potential use in the management of malignant hyperpyrexia. Chemical evidence of liver dysfunction may occur in 0.7 to 1% of patients on long-term treatment with dantrolene, with symptomatic hepatitis in 0.35 to 0.5% and fatal hepatitis in 0.1 to 0.2%. The drug commonly causes transient drowsiness, dizziness, weakness, general malaise, fatigue and diarrhoea at the start of therapy. Muscle weakness may be the principal limiting side-effect in ambulant patients, particularly in those with multiple sclerosis, and therapy could be hazardous in patients with pre-existing bulbar or respiratory weakness. The dosage of dantrolene has been fixed in most controlled trials, though long-term studies have indicated the need for individualisation of dosage. The initial dose is usually 25mg once daily, increasing to 25mg two, three or four times daily, and then by increments of 25mg up to as high as 100mg two, three or four times daily. The lowest dose compatible with optimal response is recommended.
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PMID:Dantrolene sodium: a review of its pharmacological properties and therapeutic efficacy in spasticity. 31 89

Some common, yet erroneous, attitudes and perceptions about stroke still persist. These warrant reconsideration: (1) benefits of stroke rehabilitation (including validity of its basis, life expectancy, adequacy in nursing homes, outcome prediction, cost benefits, and vocational outcome); (2) gait training (including evaluation methods, gait patterns, hand supports, sensory deficits, and types of braces); (3) effects of training on regaining balance; (4) spasticity (as a negative factor, enhancement by spring-action brace, benefit of inhibition training, and importance of antispasmotic drugs); (5) danger of early activity; (6) depression; (7) effects on patients' sexuality; (8) effects of communication impairments on learning abilities as well as effectiveness of speech therapy; (9) application of neurphysiological principles (regarding decreasing synaptic resistance, applications of principles from cerebral palsy training, and benefits of training for percept-concept-motor function deficits); and (10) research including reliability of past reports and paucity of facilities for new research.
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PMID:Stroke rehabilitation: a reconsideration of some common attitudes. 41 97

Case 1. A 65 year old male had left hemiparesis with sudden onset since 8 years ago, which gradually aggravated for these 2 years. On Sept. 27, 1973, he was admitted to the Department of Neurosurgery, Kitano Hospital. There was left spastic hemiparesis with hemisensory disturbance and he could not walk without help for the maked spasticity. Left carotid angiogram revealed the complete occlusion of the internal carotid artery and marked stenosis of the external carotid artery at the common carotid bifurcation. External carotid endarterectomy was performed on Nov. 19, 1973, which was followed by STA-MCA anastomosis 2 months later. The spasticity of extremities and left hemisparesis were gradually improved and he was able to walk without help. Case 2. On Apr. 14, 1974, a 63 year old female developed complete stroke with right hemiparesis and speech disturbance after transient ischemic attacks of 5 days duration. On Aug. 9, he was admitted and had emotional incontinence, right hemiparesis, Gerstmann's syndrome and motor aphasia. Left carotid angiogram revealed a saccular aneurysm of the middle cerebral artery and the occlusion of the distal middle cerebral arterys. These findings suggested that the occlusion was caused by embolus from the middle cerebral aneurysm, and the combined surgery with STA-MCA anastomosis and operation for the aneurysm was planned. On Aug. 30, 1974, under left frontotemporal craniotomy, aneurysmal neck clipping and aneurysmectomy were performed and thereafter, STA-MCA double anastomosis was done. One week after operation, the gradual improvement of pre-operative symptomes was noted. Recently, STA-MCA anatomosis is well known to be one of the effective operative methods for the occlusive methods for the occlusive cerebrovascular diseases and in addition, we found that the combination of STA-MCA anastomosis with other operations was effective for unusual cases presenting in this report. Furthermore, except for the occlusive cerebrovascular diseases, we usually plan STA-MCA anastomosis for the cases of 1) carotid ligation or trapping for carotid-cavernous sinus fistula and some internal carotid aneurysms, 2) some intracranial tumors with the danger involving the main cerebral arteries by operation to protect the cerebrovascular insufficiency.
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PMID:[The combination of STA-MCA anastomosis with another operation for the occlusive cerebrovascular disease (author's transl)]. 55 37

Orthopedic management of the head trauma patient is divided into 3 phases--acute, recovery and stable. The treatment of bone injury is the main thrust in the acute phase. Guidelines were formulated from a retrospective review of 91 head trauma patients including spine and other fractures. The recovery phase consists of prevention and correction of joint deformities due to spasticity. Position, range of motion and splints are the basic methods employed. Indications and techniques for phenol injection to the posterior tibial and musculocutaneous nerves are reviewed. Heterotopic bone formation will be identified in this phase and treated early. In the final phase, one and one-half years postinjury, surgical treatment is employed to improve extremity function. Procedures proven of value in treatment of stroke patients are applicable. Heterotopic bone can also be definitively treated by excisional surgery supplemented by new medical agents.
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PMID:Orthopedic management of brain-injured adults. Part II. 65 7

Surgical procedures are performed on the nonfunctional upper extremity following stroke to correct spastic flexion contractures that cause pain or prevent adequate hygiene. In the upper extremity surgical procedures are most commonly performed to improve extension at the wrist, fingers or thumb. If the deformity is primarily due to spasticity rather than fixed myostatic contracture, anesthetic block of the median and/or ulnar nerve preoperatively enables the surgeon to determine that extension will be improved after the appropriate flexor tendons are lengthened. Careful presurgical evaluation of motor sensory function enables the surgeon to predictably select those patients who will benefit from surgery.
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PMID:Upper extremity surgery in stroke patients. 65 40

Outcomes in self-care following rehabilitation in 226 patients were correlated with 11 stroke syndromes, reflecting several pathophysiologic disturbances subsequent to either infarction or hemorrhage in cerebral or vertebro-basilar vessels. Self-care was scored on a 20-point scale for bed movements, transfers, feeding, dressing, personal hygiene, and bathing. Interjudge error among therapists did not exceed 2.5%. Mean score in left cerebral infarction without aphasia was used as a referent value. Scores in left cerebral infarction with aphasia and right parietal lobe syndrome with and without spatial agnosia were similar to the referent. Brain stem dysfunction with spasticity and right cerebral infarction with paresis and spatial agnosia fell below the referent value (Pless than 0.05). Higher levels were achieved in the syndromes of left and right anterior cerebral artery territories, brain stem dysfunction with ataxia, and left parietal lobe syndrome with comprehension aphasia, although t-values were not significant. Length of stay among the 11 groups was fairly uniform except for the group with brain stem dysfunction with spasticity and the group with left hemiplegia with spatial agnosia. These groups indicated rather severe disabilities. Aside from neurologic dysfunction the range of scores was influenced by associated cardiopulmonary involvement.
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PMID:Neurophysiologic syndromes in stroke as predictors of outcome. 68 54

Applying the Varney shoulder brace for painful subluxating shoulders in stroke and head injury patients with or without spasticity has proved to be an extremely effective means of reducing the subluxed shoulder. Other causes for painful shoulders in these patients must be ruled out. Not every shoulder which subluxes with or without spasticity is painful. Correct diagnosis of the etiology of the pain is essential to help the patient. Rotator cuff tendinitis, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, glenohumeral arthritis, shoulder contracture, pain due to central nervous system origin (thalmic pain) and other intrinsic causes of referred pain must be ruled out. Once the subluxed shoulder is proven to be the cause of pain, the Varney brace is an excellent orthosis for the reduction and maintenance of position. Pain usually subsides completely within 5 to 7 days.
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PMID:The use of the Varney brace for subluxating shoulders in stroke and upper motor neuron injuries. 83 9

In 20 stroke patients who were examined by repeated electromyography, fibrillation potentials and positive waves were noted as early as seven to ten days after the stroke and gradually disappeared as volitional potentials and spasticity appeared. This sequence of events occurred first in the antigravity muscles, then in their antagonists and finally in the most distal muscles. We hypothesize that the abnormal irritability is a consequence of the loss of the neurotrophic influence on the muscle fiber after the stroke.
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PMID:Sequence of electromyographic abnormalities in stroke syndrome. 120 Aug 15

The study aims the registration and anlaysis of the main facts which occur during recovery of the voluntary movements in the upper extremity, in patients with hemiplegia following cerebrovascular accident, and it also intends to evaluate the prognosis. Of particular interest was the comparative recognition of the spontaneous recovery of voluntary motricity in different segments of the upper extremity in 88 patients, not previously selected, with hemiplegia after cerebrovascular accident, admitted to the hospital at the acute stage. Of the 88 hemiplegic patients studied whose further evolution has been fairly followed 56 cases (group 1) experienced clinical improvement, either with partial or total remission of neurological manifestations and complete recovery of all voluntary movements in the different upper extremity joints, while 32 patients (group 2) with persistent neurological symptoms, particularly spasticity, showed a slighter clinical improvement, as well as only partial recovery of upper extremity movements. The clinical quantification of neurological signs applied in this study, has made possible to report the main significant changes developed during the 88 patients recovery. This criteria has allowed to emphasize the degree of the spontaneous remission of symptoms and the determination of the critical level of stabilization "plateau". The analysis of the data supplied by the two groups led to the following conclusions: a) the critical level of remission of symptoms and the spontaneous recovery of voluntary movements ocurred around the 70th day after the installation of hemiplegia; b) the 256 average score acquired 70 days after the onset of the hemiplegia represents the critical level stabilization (plateau); c) although the presence of early initial movements, immediately after the installation of hemiplegia, is a valuable data for the prognosis, the characterization of early movement patterns is of most important meaning; d) patients with hemiplegia after cerebrovascular acident who present the thumb flexion-extension and opposition movements showed a better prognosis than those whose initial movements were represented by the elbow flexion and/or arm flexion-adduction.
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PMID:[Recovery of voluntary motion in the upper extremity following hemiplegia in patients with cerebrovascular accident. Prognostic evaluation]. 127 94

This investigation assessed the mechanisms of Tetrazepam action on spasticity using a battery of electromyographic methods. Thirty patients with post-stroke spastic hemiparesis treated with Tetrazepam took part in the investigation. A questionnaire for assessment of subjective improvement after treatment used a 5-point scale. The 5-point scales were used to assess muscle tone, muscle strength and tendon reflexes. A battery of electromyographic methods was used to analyse different mechanisms of spasticity: for alpha-motoneuron activity--the F-wave parameters; for gamma-motoneuron activity--the TA/H amplitude ratio; for presynaptic inhibition--the ratio of H-reflex maximal amplitudes before and after vibration on the Achilles tendon (Hvibr/Hmax); for common interneuron activity--the flexor reflex parameters. Our results revealed that Tetrazepam reduces tone in spastic muscles and has a slight effect on tendon hyperreflexia. It has no influence on muscle strength, Babinski sign and ankle clonus. Tetrazepam acts by decreasing motoneurone activity and increasing presynaptic inhibition.
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PMID:Mechanisms of tetrazepam action on spasticity. 134 69


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