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Study design: Prospective cross-sectional study. Objective: To study epidemiology, complication, neurological and functional outcome in nontraumatic spinal cord lesions (NTSCL) after inpatient rehabilitation. Setting: Neurological rehabilitation unit of a tertiary research hospital. Methods: Sixty-four patients (M/F ¼ 28:36) with NTSCL admitted from June 2005 to January 2008 for multidisciplinary rehabilitation. Epidemiology, medical complications during stay in rehabilitation, admission and dischargeFBarthel Index (BI) and American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) impairment scale for functional and neurological recovery, respectively, were recorded and analyzed. Results: NTSCL constituted 60% (64 of 106) of the total SCL patients admitted for rehabilitation during the same period. Female patients outnumbered males (56.25%) in the study. Mean age, duration of illness and duration of stay in rehabilitation were 30.64±13.67 years (6-57), 7.09±9.15 months (1-48) and 55.75 ± 40.91 days (14-193), respectively. The ratio of paraplegia and quadriplegia was 2:1. Forty-four patients (68.75%) had incomplete cord lesion according to the ASIA impairment scale. Spinal tumors (26.6%) were found to be the most common etiology, followed by Pott's spine (25%) and transverse myelitis (22%). Urinary tract infection was found to be the most common complication (50%), followed by spasticity (35.93%) and urinary incontinence (31.25%). The mean BI scores showed significant (P ¼ 0.000) functional recovery during rehabilitation using paired Student's t-test. The ASIA impairment scale showed significant neurological recovery (P ¼ 0.001) using the Wilcoxon non-parametric test. Conclusions: NTSCL constitute a significant proportion of overall SCL. Female population, paraplegia and incomplete cord lesions are more common among NTSCL in this study. Patients with NTSCL recover significantly both neurologically and functionally with rehabilitation intervention.

Objectives:To evaluate (1) the prevalence of operationally defined depressive disorder (ICD-10) in chronic stroke subjects and (2) the relationship of post-stroke depression (PSD) with disability.Design:Cross-sectional, descriptive study.Setting:Neurological rehabilitation unit of a tertiary care university research center.Materials and Methods:Participants were those with first episode of supratentorial stroke of more than 3 months' duration with impaired balance and gait who had been referred for rehabilitation. Data were collected on demographic data, stroke data (side and type of lesion and post-stroke duration), cognition (mini mental state examination), depressive ideation (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale - HRDS), impairment (Scandinavian Stroke Scale), balance (Berg Balance Scale), ambulatory status (Functional Ambulation Category), walking ability (speed), and independence in activities of daily living (Barthel Index). Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 13.0. We carried out the chi-square test for ordinal variables and the independent t test for continuous variables.Results:Fifty-one patients (M:F: 41:10) of mean age 46.06 ± 11.19 years and mean post-stroke duration of 467.33 ± 436.39 days) were included in the study. Eighteen of the 51 participants (35.29%) met the criteria for depression. Demographic variables like male gender, being married, living in a nuclear family, urban background, and higher HRDS score were significantly correlated with PSD (P < 0.05). Depression was related to functional disability after stroke but to a statistically insignificant level (P > 0.05) and was unrelated to lesion-related parameters.Conclusion:Depression occurs in one-third of chronic stroke survivors and is prevalent in subjects referred for rehabilitation. PSD is related primarily to demographic variables and only to a lesser extent to functional disability following stroke.

Proper assessment of disabilities is essential for rehabilitation of patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The aim of this study was to identify and quantify the disabilities in children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and correlate them with impairment. Thirty-one patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy of age four years and above were studied. The motor functions were evaluated using total motor score, upper and lower extremity function grades and timed function tests. Disability was quantified with Barthel index. The mean scores of motor scales were: total motor score -52 +/- 7.8, total functional grade -4.4 +/- 1.9 and timed function score -12.5 +/- 5.8. Barthel index scores ranged from 45-95 with a mean of 70.8 +/- 12.7. Motor scales correlated with each other and with Barthel index. Thirty children had disabilities in multiple spheres of life, which were significantly influenced by the motor power. Barthel index was useful in identifying and quantifying specific areas of disabilities in these children. Evaluation of disabilities using specific measures may be crucial for planning comprehensive management.