[Purpose] An insufficient head control is the most troublesome condition for children with impaired mobility who require optimal seating. [Subjects and Methods] We report on the clinical trial of the newly developed i2i head & neck positioning & support system called i2i for locomotively disabled children with periventricular leukomalacia (PVL). [Results] Two major advantages of the i2i were observed in the trial. The first was its favorable effect on the alignment of the spine to prevent scoliosis and to provide stable breathing and optimal seating, which resulted in improvement of the children’s activities of daily living (ADL). The second was its direct application of force to the head rather than indirectly to the pelvis in a conventional seat arrangement. The conventional way of head support is based on stabilization of the trunk which is based on stabilization of the pelvis by some seating arrangement. [Conclusion] The trial of the i2i device demonstrated its usefulness in helping PVL children with insufficient head control develop their abilities while preventing secondary disability.

ABSTRACT. [Purpose]This study aimed to elucidate the actual state of powered wheelchair (PWC) prescription for preschool children with disabilities in Japan, and also to determine the approximate number of preschool children with disabilities who would potentially benefit from PWC use. [Subjects and Methods] A total of 318 facilities providing rehabilitation for disabled children in Japan were enrolled in the study. A questionnaire about PWC use for preschoolers was mailed to the facilities. Each study items were analyzed employing the Fisher's exact test.[Results] Of the 318 facilities, consent to participate in this study was obtained from 108 (return rate: 34.0%). After PWC provision, many facilities reported improvement in quality of life indices for preschool children with disabilities. It was revealed that there were 6 preschool children from 2 to 6 years of age with disabilities who might acquire a means of independent locomotion through PWC provision and thereby experience improved quality of life. [Conclusion] There was no negative comment from the facilities studied about the prescription and provision of PWC for preschool children with disabilities.

The work presented here is about scoliosis measurement. As the ISO16840-1 standard, which is the international standard of seated posture measurement, is a noninvasive measurement method and does not need large-scale devices, it is useful clinically for scoliosis measurement. However, to our knowledge, there has been no clinical attempt that measures scoliosis according to the ISO16840-1 standard. The purpose of this paper is to report our work that evaluates the possibility of application of the ISO16840-1 standard to thoracic scoliosis measurement. First, we measured the gradient angle of the "frontal sternum line" as defined in the ISO16840-1 standard and measured the gradient angle of the thoracic spine from X-ray pictures. Subjects were 29 persons with scoliosis. Next, we compared their gradient angles individually. As a result, it was found that measuring scoliosis according to the ISO16840-1 standard lacks validity for persons with relatively severe scoliosis (larger than 40 degrees of the "Cobb angle"), but is valid for persons with relatively mild scoliosis (under 40 degrees of the "Cobb angle"). In conclusion, it is indicated that the ISO16840-1 standard can be applied to thoracic scoliosis for persons with mild scoliosis.