Helios Klinik Kipfenberg

OBJECTIVE: To examine the clinimetric characteristics of the Trunk Impairment Scale (TIS). This newly developed scale evaluates motor impairment of the trunk after stroke. The TIS scores, on a range from 0 to 23, static and dynamic sitting balance as well as trunk co-ordination. It also aims to score the quality of trunk movement and to be a guide for treatment. DESIGN: Two physiotherapists observed each patient simultaneously, but scored independently. Each patient was re-examined by one of the therapists. SUBJECTS: Twenty-eight patients in a rehabilitation setting. RESULTS: Kappa and weighted kappa values for item per item reliability ranged for all but two, from 0.62 to 1. All percentages of agreement exceeded 81%. Intraclass correlations (ICC) for the summed scores of the different subscales were between 0.85 and 0.99. Test-retest and interobserver reliability for the TIS total score (ICC) was 0.96 and 0.99, respectively. The 95% limits of agreement for the test-retest and interexaminer measurement error were -2.90, 3.68 and -1.84, 1.84, respectively. Cronbach alpha coefficients for internal consistency ranged from 0.65 to 0.89. Content validity was defined. Spearman rank correlations with the Barthel Index (r = 0.86) and the Trunk Control Test (r = 0.83) was used to examine construct and concurrent validity, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of different clinimetric parameters support the use of the TIS in both clinical use and future stroke research. Guidelines for treatment and level of quality of trunk activity can be derived from the assessment.

Under semiambulatory conditions, 85 consecutive patients with the diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes of short duration (excluding patients with islet cell antibodies or maturity onset diabetes of the young) were admitted to a self-control training program and were examined in this study. A comprehensive renal assessment was performed, including evaluation of albumin excretion rate (AER), renal hemodynamics, blood pressure (BP) profile, and indicators of genetic risk. AER > or = 30 mg/24 h was found in 13 (15%) of patients; in two of these patients, AER was > or = 300 mg/24 h. By logistic regression, high HbA1, current smoking, and BP parameters were significantly correlated with an increased risk of microalbuminuria (MA). In a multiple linear regression model, accounting for 57% of total variance, HbA1, ERPF, and current smoking were significantly correlated with AER. Median GFR (Cin(inulin clearance) 136 mL/min per 1.73m2; range, 94 to 194) and ERPF (Cpah(para-aminohippuric acid clearance) 733; range, 451 to 1328) were significantly higher in patients than in control subjects (upper 95th percentile, 131 and 706 mL/min per 1.73m2, respectively). In a multiple linear regression model, explaining 27% of total variance, age, AER, gender, and fasting blood glucose were significantly correlated to GFR. According to the criteria of average daytime BP > or = 135/85 mm Hg or 24-h BP > or = 130/80 mm Hg, 60% of patients were hypertensive (HT). Sixty-one percent of all patients (including 50% of the untreated normotensive patients) were "nondippers", i.e., < 15% nighttime decrease of mean arterial pressure. Either HT or nondipping was found in 79% of all patients, so that only 21% had a completely normal blood pressure profile. Ninety-four percent of untreated hypertensive patients had no MA. First-degree relatives of patients with MA compared with patients without MA had more frequent cardiovascular events (69% versus 31%). The risk of MA in diabetic patients with positive family history was amplified by poor glycemic control. MA, but not hypertension, was marginally related to K(m) of Na+/Li+ countertransport. It was concluded that (1) microalbuminuria is found in 15% of patients newly presenting with Type 2 diabetes; (2) a high proportion of patients exhibit hyperfiltration; (3) according to ambulatory BP only, 21% of patients have a completely normal circadian BP profile; (4) a family history of cardiovascular events interacts with glycemic control to increase the risk of MA.

OBJECTIVES: Critical illness polyneuropathy is a common disorder in the neurological ICU. Dysphagia is well known to deteriorate outcome in the ICU. The prevalence of dysphagia in critical illness polyneuropathy is not known. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of dysphagia in critical illness polyneuropathy using fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing. DESIGN: Prospective, cohort study. SETTING: Neurological rehabilitation ICU. PATIENTS: Twenty-two patients with critical illness polyneuropathy. INTERVENTIONS: Clinical swallowing examination and serial fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (days 3, 14, and 28 after admission). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Swallowing of saliva, pureed consistencies, and liquids was tested using fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing at three different time points. The penetration-aspiration scale by Rosenbek et al and the secretion severity rating scale by Murray et al were used for grading. Functional outcome after rehabilitation was assessed using the functional independence measure.: Pathologic swallowing was found in 20 of 22 patients (91%). Hypesthesia of laryngeal structures was found in 17 of 22 patients (77%) during the first fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing. Over the 4-week follow-up period, laryngeal hypesthesia resolved in 75% of affected cases. Pureed consistencies were swallowed safely in 18 of 22 cases (82%), whereas liquids and saliva showed high aspiration rates (13 of 17 [78%] and 10 of 22 [45%], respectively). Swallowing function recovered completely in 21 of 22 (95%) within 4 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: Dysphagia is frequent among patients with critical illness polyneuropathy treated in the ICU. Old age, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the mode of mechanical ventilation, the prevalence of tracheal tubes, and behavioral "learned nonuse" may all be contributing factors for the development of dysphagia in critical illness polyneuropathy. Complete recovery occurs in a high percentage of affected individuals within 4 weeks.

PURPOSE: Upper limb function is the best predictor of long-term disability after stroke. Despite extensive rehabilitation, recovery of upper limb motor function is frequently incomplete after stroke. METHODS: We review the pertinent literature on functional reorganization within the cerebral motor network after stroke and noninvasive techniques to modulate brain function towards beneficial plasticity. RESULTS: Direct current stimulation and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation are powerful tools to (i) modulate cortical excitability, (ii) induce remote changes within the cortical motor system and (iii) thereby improve upper limb motor function after stroke. Today no relevant side effects have been reported. CONCLUSIONS: Neuromodulation, by means of noninvasive brain stimulation techniques, has been shown to be a safe, feasible and effective method to promote recovery of motor function after stroke. However, several methodological and theoretical issues remain to be addressed in future work.

Exercise performance is influenced by many physical factors, such as muscle strength and endurance. Particularly in the physical fitness and sports performance contexts, there are many types of ergogenic aids to improve muscular strength and endurance performance, with non-athletes and even athletes using illegal drugs to reach the top. Thus, the development of innovative methods to aid in exercise performance is of great interest. One such method is transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). A systematic search was performed on the following databases, until January 2019; PubMed/MEDLINE, SCOPUS, and Pedro database. Studies on tDCS for muscular strength and endurance performance improvement in non-athletes and athletes adults were included. We compared the effect of anodal-tDCS (a-tDCS) to a sham/control condition on the outcomes muscular strength and endurance performance. We found 26 controlled trials. No trial mentions negative side effects of the intervention. The data show differences between the studies investigating muscle strength and the studies evaluating endurance, with regard to successful use of tDCS. Studies investigating the efficiency of tDCS on improving muscular strength demonstrate positive effects of a-tDCS in 66.7% of parameters tested. In contrast, in studies evaluating the effects of a-tDCS on improving endurance performance the a-tDCS revealed a significant improvement in only 50% of parameters assessed. The majority of the data shows consistently influence of a-tDCS on muscular strength, but not to endurance performance. The results of this systematic review suggest that a-tDCS can improve muscular strength, but not to endurance performance.

Based on a 'Theory of Visual Attention' (TVA), whole and partial report of brief letter arrays is presented as a diagnostic tool to estimate four clinically significant attentional components: perceptual processing speed, visual working memory storage capacity, efficiency of top-down control, and spatial distribution of attention. The procedure used was short enough to be applicable within a standard clinical setting. Two brain-damaged patients, selected based on lesion location and neuropsychological test profile, were compared to a control group of 22 healthy subjects. One patient with a right inferior parietal lesion showed a pattern of non-spatially and spatially lateralized attention deficits that is typically found in neglect patients. Results from the second patient supported the decisive role of superior frontal brain structures for top-down control of visual attention. This double dissociation supports the hypothesis that, even with a short version of whole and partial report, valid and meaningful results can be obtained in the neuropsychological assessment of attention deficits. The potential and constraints of TVA-based parameter estimation for the clinical application are discussed.

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the effectiveness of cycle ergometer training and resistance training to enhance the efficiency of standard care to improve walking ability, muscular strength of the lower limbs, cardiovascular endurance and health-related quality of life during inpatient rehabilitation in intensive care unit acquired weakness. MATERIALS & METHODS: Thirty-nine patients with severe to moderate walking disability were enrolled in one of the three experimental groups: (a) ergometer training group, (b) resistance training group and (c) control group (standard care only). Intervention was applied 5 days a week over a 4-week period during inpatient neurological rehabilitation. We evaluated walking ability (Functional Ambulation Category test, timed up and go test, 10-metre walk test and 6-minute walk test), muscle strength (Medical Research Council and maximum muscle strength tests), cardiovascular endurance and muscular endurance of the lower limbs at the fatigue threshold (physical working capacity at fatigue threshold) and quality of life (medical outcomes study SF-36 form). All tests were performed at baseline, after two weeks of treatment and at the end of the 4-week intervention period. RESULTS: Ergometer training and resistance training enhanced the effectiveness of standard care in order to improve (a) lower limb muscle strength, (b) walking ability and (c) cardiorespiratory fitness during inpatient rehabilitation of intensive care acquired weakness. In addition, ergometer training may be superior to resistance training. CONCLUSIONS: Our data encourage more research to develop and implement these training tools in rehabilitation programmes for intensive care acquired weakness.

BACKGROUND: Early mobilization of patients in intensive care units (ICUs) improves patient recovery, but implementation remains challenging. Protocols may enhance the rate of out-of-bed mobilizations. AIM: To evaluate the effect of implementing a protocol for early mobilization on the rate of out-of-bed mobilizations and other outcomes of ICU patients. STUDY DESIGN: Multicentre, stepped-wedge, cluster-randomized pilot study. METHODS: After a control period, five ICUs were allocated to the implementation of an inter-professional protocol for early mobilization in a randomized, monthly order. Mobilization of ICU patients was evaluated by monthly 1-day point prevalence surveys using the ICU Mobility Scale. The primary outcome was the percentage of patients mobilized out of bed, defined as level 3 on the ICU Mobility Scale (sitting on edge of bed) or higher. Secondary outcomes were mechanical ventilation, delirium and ICU- and hospital-days, as well as unwanted safety events. RESULTS: Out-of-bed mobilizations increased non-significantly from 36·2% (n = 55) of 152 patients during the control period to 45·8% (n = 55) of 120 patients during the intervention period (difference 9·6%; 95% confidence interval -2·1 to 21·3%). Of 55 mobilized patients per group, more patients were mobilized once per day during the intervention period (intervention: n = 41 versus control: n = 23 patients). Multiple daily mobilizations decreased (control: n = 32 control versus intervention: n = 14 patients). Secondary outcomes, such as days with mechanical ventilation, delirium and in ICU and hospital, did not significantly differ. Adherence to the protocol was >90%; unwanted safety events were rare. CONCLUSIONS: Implementing a protocol for early mobilization of ICU patients showed a trend towards more patients being mobilized. Without additional staff in participating ICUs, a significant increase in ICU mobilizations was not to be anticipated. More research should address whether more staff would increase the number of frequent mobilizations and if this is relevant to outcomes. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Implementing inter-professional protocols for mobilization is feasible and safe and may contribute to an increase of ICU patients mobilized out of bed.

AIM: The effect of electrical somatosensory stimulation on motor performance of the affected hand was investigated in 12 chronic subcortical stroke subjects. METHODS: Subjects performed index finger and hand tapping movements as well as reach-to-grasp movements with both the affected and unaffected hand prior to (baseline conditions) and following (1) 2 h of electrical somatosensory stimulation (trains of five pulses at 10 Hz with 1 ms duration delivered at 1 Hz with an intensity on average 60% above the individual somatosensory threshold) of the median nerve of the affected hand or (2) 2 h of idle time on separate occasions at least 1 week apart. The order of sessions was counterbalanced across subjects. RESULTS: Somatosensory stimulation of the median nerve of the affected hand, but not a period of idle time, enhanced the frequency of index finger and hand tapping movements and improved the kinematics of reach-to-grasp movements performed with the affected hand, compared with baseline. Somatosensory stimulation did not impact on motor performance of the unaffected hand. DISCUSSION: The data suggest that electrical somatosensory stimulation may improve motor function of the affected hand after stroke; however, further studies are needed to test if the implementation of somatosensory stimulation in rehabilitation of hand function also impacts on manual activities of daily life after stroke.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Numerous studies have shown that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the primary motor cortex (M1) may improve motor function of the affected hand after stroke. The effects of 1 Hz rTMS applied over the contralesional dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) on hand function and cortical neurophysiology in subacute stroke were examined. METHODS: Ten subacute stroke patients with mild hand motor impairment were enrolled in a prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover study with two intervention sessions. 1 Hz rTMS was applied over the contralesional PMd (real rTMS, 900 pulses at 110% of the motor threshold; sham rTMS, 900 pulses at 0% of the motor threshold). Tests of hand function (Jebsen-Taylor hand function test, box and block test) and neurophysiological evaluations (resting motor threshold, motor evoked potentials, cortical silent period, ipsilateral silent period) were obtained from both hands and hemispheres prior to (baseline) and after each treatment. RESULTS: Hand function tests revealed significant improvement of motor function of the affected but not of the unaffected hand after real rTMS only. Neither intervention changed the neurophysiological measures in comparison to baseline. CONCLUSION: One hertz rTMS over the contralesional PMd improves motor function of the affected hand in subacute stroke. The PMd may be a novel rTMS target to treat motor impairment after stroke.

BACKGROUND: Resting motor threshold is an objective measure of cortical excitability. Numerous studies indicate that the success of motor recovery after stroke is significantly determined by the direction and extent of cortical excitability changes. A better understanding of this topic (particularly with regard to the level of motor impairment and the contribution of either cortical hemisphere) may contribute to the development of effective therapeutical strategies in this cohort. OBJECTIVES: This systematic review collects and analyses the available evidence on resting motor threshold and hand motor recovery in stroke patients. METHODS: PubMed was searched from its inception through to 31/10/2020 on studies investigating resting motor threshold of the affected and/or the non-affected hemisphere and motor function of the affected hand in stroke cohorts. RESULTS: Overall, 92 appropriate studies (including 1978 stroke patients and 377 healthy controls) were identified. The analysis of the data indicates that severe hand impairment is associated with suppressed cortical excitability within both hemispheres and with great between-hemispheric imbalance of cortical excitability. Favorable motor recovery is associated with an increase of ipsilesional motor cortex excitability and reduction of between-hemispheric imbalance. The direction of change of contralesional motor cortex excitability depends on the amount of hand motor impairment. Severely disabled patients show an increase of contralesional motor cortex excitability during motor recovery. In contrast, recovery of moderate to mild hand motor impairment is associated with a decrease of contralesional motor cortex excitability. CONCLUSIONS: This data encourages a differential use of rehabilitation strategies to modulate cortical excitability. Facilitation of the ipsilesional hemisphere may support recovery in general, whereas facilitation and inhibition of the contralesional hemisphere may enhance recovery in severe and less severely impaired patients, respectively.

In the last decade, real-time B-mode ultrasound for ovarian diagnosis in pigs has been used in numerous experimental studies aimed at elucidating the relationship between estrus, ovulation, time of insemination, and fertility. This article describes the uses and benefits of real-time sonography for ovarian diagnosis for fertility control in swine breeding herds. The reliability of diagnosis is closely related to the experience of the investigator and the ultrasound unit used. Sonographic studies in sow herds revealed considerable differences in the variation of onset of estrus-ovulation intervals between farms. Ovarian sonography, therefore, is suggested as a useful tool to monitor the ovulation behavior on a given farm and, consequently, to establish a farm-specific insemination strategy. A long-term herd study using 346 sows showed that animals with single or multiple ovarian cysts had lower fertility than animals without cysts. The majority of the cysts regress spontaneously and are clinically inapparent. The differential diagnosis of ovarian cysts requires repeated sonographic investigation. The main impact of ovarian diagnosis in pigs is in the detection of ovulation as a prerequisite for establishing farm-specific AI strategies and the detection of ovarian cysts as a possible cause for suboptimal fertility results.

Conversion (functional) limb weakness or paralysis (FW) can be a debilitating condition, and often causes significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. Most treatment concepts are multi-disciplinary, containing a behavioral approach combined with a motor learning program. Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) methods, such as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) have been used in the past few decades to treat FW. In order to identify all published studies that used NIBS methods such as ECT, TMS and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for treating FW patients a systematic review of the literature was conducted in PubMed and Web of Science. In a second step, narratives were used to retrospectively determine nominal CGI-I (Clinical Global Impression scale-Improvement) scores to describe approximate changes of FW symptoms. We identified two articles (case reports) with ECT used for treatment of FW, five with TMS with a total of 86 patients, and none with tDCS. In 75 out of 86 patients treated with repetitive (r)TMS a nominal CGI-I score could be estimated, showing a satisfactory short-term improvement. Fifty-four out of seventy-five identified patients (72%) had a CGI-I score of 1 (very much improved), 13 (17%) a score of 2 (much improved), 5 (7%) a score of 3 (minimally improved), and 3 (5%) remained unchanged (CGI-I = 4). In no case did patients worsen after rTMS treatment, and no severe adverse effects were reported. At follow-up, symptom improvement was not quantifiable in terms of CGI-I for the majority of the cases. Patients treated with ECT showed a satisfactory short-term response (CGI-I = 2), but deterioration of FW symptoms at follow-up. Despite the predominantly positive results presented in the identified studies and satisfactory levels of efficacy measured with retrospectively calculated nominal CGI-I scores, any assumption of a beneficial effect of NIBS in FW has to be seen with caution, as only few articles could be retrieved and their quality was mostly poor. This article elucidates how NIBS might help in FW and gives recommendations for future study designs using NIBS in this condition.

Psychogenic tremor is the most common psychogenic movement disorder. Its prognosis is widely held to be poor and strongly depends on the patient's insight into the psychogenicity of the syndrome. The clinical value of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for (i) establishing the diagnosis with a high level of certainty, (ii) modulating symptom severity and (iii) facilitating patients' insight into psychogenicity was tested in 11 patients with psychogenic tremor of the upper limb. After explaining the psychogenic origin of the syndrome and providing a neurobiological model, 30 TMS pulses were applied over the hand area of the primary motor cortex contralateral to the affected hand(s) at a rate of 0.2 Hz. 15 pulses were administered at intensities of 120 % and 140 % of the resting motor threshold, respectively. Kinematic motion analysis was used to document the effectiveness of the TMS procedure. All patients met the diagnostic criteria of conversion disorder. Time elapsed since symptom onset was on average 48 to 57 months. Tremor affected both hands in 8 patients, one patient had additional head tremor. The TMS procedure caused a significant reduction of tremor frequency and thus established the diagnosis of documented psychogenic tremor according to the criteria proposed by Fahn and Williams (1988) in each patient. The duration of symptom relief was transient in 7 patients, 4 patients had lasting symptom relief. The present pilot study demonstrates that TMS is a helpful tool to (i) establish the diagnosis of psychogenic hand tremor with a high level of certainty, (ii) reduce tremor intensity and (iii) facilitate the patient's insight into the psychogenic origin of the syndrome as a prerequisite to obtain adherence to psychotherapy.

Colonization or infection with multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria is considered detrimental to the outcome of neurological and neurosurgical early rehabilitation patients. In a German multi-center study, 754 neurological early rehabilitation patients were enrolled and and reviewed in respect to MDR status, length of stay (LOS) and the following outcome variables: Barthel Index (BI), Early Rehabilitation Index (ERI), Glasgow Outcome Score Extended (GOSE), Coma Remission Scale (CRS), Functional Ambulation Categories (FAC). The mean age of the study population was 68.0 ± 14.8 years. Upon admission, the following prevalence for MDRs was observed: MRSA (methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus) 7.0% (53/754), ESBL- (extended spectrum beta-lactamase) producing bacteria strains 12.6% (95/754), VRE (vancomycin resistant enterococci) 2.8% (21/754). Patients colonized or infected with MDR bacteria (MDR+) were significantly more frequently diagnosed with a critical illness polyneuropathy – CIP – than non-colonized (MDR-) patients: 29.0% vs. 14.8%. In addition, they were more frequently mechanically ventilated (MDR+: 55/138, 39.9%; MDR- 137/616, 22.2%). MDR+ patients were referred to rehabilitation earlier, had a longer LOS in early rehabilitation, lower BI on admission and at discharge, lower ERI on admission and lower CRS at discharge than MDR- patients. There was a highly significant correlation of the BI upon admission with the BI at discharge (rs = 0.492, p < 0.001). GOSE at discharge differed significantly between both groups (χ 2-test, p < 0.01). Perhaps of greatest importance, mortality among MDR+ was higher in comparison to MDR- (18.1% vs. 7.6%). The outcome of neurological early rehabilitation patients colonized or infected with MDR bacteria including MRSA or ESBL producing strains is significantly poorer than by non-colonized patients. There is some evidence that the poor outcome could be related to the higher morbidity and lower functional status upon admission.

Objective . To investigate the relationship between changes of cortical hand motor representation and motor recovery of the affected hand in subacute stroke. Methods . 17 patients with motor impairment of the affected hand were enrolled in an in-patient neurological rehabilitation program. Hand motor function tests (Wolf Motor Function Test, Action Research Arm Test) and neurophysiological evaluations (resting motor threshold, motor evoked potentials, motor map area size, motor map area volume, and motor map area location) were obtained from both hands and hemispheres at baseline and two, four, and six weeks of in-patient rehabilitation. Results . There was a wide spectrum of hand motor impairment at baseline and hand motor recovery over time. Hand motor function and recovery correlated significantly with (i) reduction of cortical excitability, (ii) reduction in size and volume of cortical hand motor representation, and (iii) a medial and anterior shift of the center of gravity of cortical hand motor representation within the contralesional hemisphere. Conclusion . Recovery of motor function of the affected hand after stroke is accompanied by definite changes in excitability, size, volume, and location of hand motor representation over the contralesional primary motor cortex. These measures may serve as surrogate markers for the outcome of hand motor rehabilitation after stroke.

Series of action phases characterize natural object manipulation tasks where each phase is responsible for satisfying a task subgoal. Subgoal attainment typically corresponds to distinct mechanical contact events, either involving the making or breaking of contact between the digits and an object or between a held object and another object. Subgoals are realized by the brain selecting and sequentially implementing suitable action-phase controllers that use sensory predictions and afferents signals in specific ways to tailor the motor output in anticipation of requirements imposed by objects' physical properties. This chapter discusses the use of tactile and visual sensory information in this context. It highlights the importance of sensory predictions, especially related to the discrete and distinct sensory events associated with contact events linked to subgoal completion, and considers how sensory signals influence and interact with such predictions in the control of manipulation tasks.

BACKGROUND: Cerebral vision disorders (CVDs) are frequent after brain damage and impair the patient's outcome. Yet clinically and psychometrically validated procedures for the anamnesis of CVD are lacking. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical validity and psychometric qualities of the Cerebral Vision Screening Questionnaire (CVSQ) for the anamnesis of CVD in individuals poststroke. METHODS: Analysis of the patients' subjective visual complaints in the 10-item CVSQ in relation to objective visual perimetry, tests of reading, visual scanning, visual acuity, spatial contrast sensitivity, light/dark adaptation, and visual depth judgments. Psychometric analyses of concurrent validity, specificity, sensitivity, positive/negative predictive value, and interrater reliability were also done. RESULTS: Four hundred sixty-one patients with unilateral (39.5% left, 47.5% right) or bilateral stroke (13.0%) were included. Most patients were assessed in the chronic stage, on average 36.7 (range = 1-620) weeks poststroke. The majority of all patients (96.4%) recognized their visual symptoms within 1 week poststroke when asked for specifically. Mean concurrent validity of the CVSQ with objective tests was 0.64 (0.54-0.79, P < .05). The mean positive predictive value was 80.1%, mean negative predictive value 82.9%, mean specificity 81.7%, and mean sensitivity 79.8%. The mean interrater reliability was 0.76 for a 1-week interval between both assessments (all P < .05). CONCLUSION: The CVSQ is suitable for the anamnesis of CVD poststroke because of its brevity (10 minute), clinical validity, and good psychometric qualities. It, thus, improves neurovisual diagnosis and guides the clinician in the selection of necessary assessments and appropriate neurovisual therapies for the patient.

BACKGROUND: Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is caused by a RNA-virus and is in about 50% of cases characterized by a biphasic clinical course in adults. Different clinical syndromes have been described, including meningitis, meningoencephalitis, meningoencephalomyelitis and meningoencephaloradiculomyelitis. The latter seems to be the most disabling and severe form of TBE virus infection. METHODS: Here we report five cases with meningoencephaloradiculomyelitis. Only in three patients a tick prick was remembered. RESULTS: Only two patients could be weaned successfully from assisted ventilation; only one patient was able to return to self-dependent life without nursing support. The youngest patient in this case series showed the most favourable outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Polyradiculopathy and/or myelopathy as verified by electrophysiological examination within 4 weeks from symptom onset were indicative of a more severe disease course and a greater likelihood of moderate to serious sequelae even after long-term rehabilitation. Older age at symptom onset seems to be associated with a less favourable outcome. Because of frequent long-term hospitalization with immobilization and invasive ventilation, secondary complications, such as ventilation associated pulmonary infections and decubiti, must be avoided.

<b>Hintergrund:</b> Die Arbeitsgruppe neurologisch-neurochirurgische Frührehabilitation (NNFR) hat im Jahr 2002 und im Jahr 2014 Verlaufsuntersuchungen von Patienten der NNFR durchgeführt. Die Studie stellt die Ergebnisse des Vergleiches aus den beiden Studien vor. <b>Patienten und Methoden:</b> Die Rehabilitationsverläufe in der NNFR wurden im Jahr 2002 von 9 Zentren und im Jahr 2014 von 16 Zentren erfasst und die Ergebnisse der Studien miteinander verglichen. <b>Ergebnisse:</b> Im Jahr 2002 wurden 1 280 Patienten und im Jahr 2014 754 Patienten in die Studien eingeschlossen. Im Vergleich der Studien wurden die Patienten vor Verlegung in die NNFR kürzer im primär versorgenden Krankenhaus behandelt (2014 Median 23, 2002 Median 27; p<0,001) und es fanden sich ein höheres Alter der Patienten (2014: 68,0±14,8 Jahre, 2002: 60,9±16,9 Jahre; p<0,001), ein höherer Anteil an Patienten mit der Diagnose Critical-Illness-Polyneuropathie (CIP) (2014: 17,6%, 2002: 0%; p<0,001), ein höherer Anteil an beatmeten Patienten (2014: 25,5%, 2002: 15,2%; p=0,007), eine höhere Mortalität (2014: 9,6%, 2002: 6,4%; p=0,031) und ein höherer Anteil an Patienten, die in die weiterführende Rehabilitation (Phase C) entlassen wurden (2014: 38%, 2002: 33%; p=0,024). In den Assessments Glasgow-Coma-Scala, Koma-Remissions-Skala, Barthel-Index und Frühreha-Index verbesserten sich die Patienten über den Behandlungszeitraum und pro Woche in der Studie 2014 signifikant weniger ausgeprägt als in der Studie 2002. Dagegen wurde 2014 ein signifikant höherer Anteil von Patienten gehfähig entlassen (2014: 53/702, 2002: 39/1 241; p<0,001). Die Verweildauern in der NNFR der bei Aufnahme nicht-beatmeten Patienten (2014: 49,0±42,2 Tage, 2002: 48,6±43,9) waren in beiden Studien vergleichbar. <b>Diskussion:</b> Der Vergleich beider Studien zeigt, dass sich die NNFR deutlich verändert hat. Die Patienten sind in 2014 älter, häufiger beatmet und der Anteil an Patienten, die im Rahmen der primären Krankenhausbehandlung sekundär schwer neurologisch erkrankt sind (CIP), ist deutlich gestiegen. Zudem werden die Patienten früher in die NNFR verlegt. Nach Einschätzung der Autoren sind dies die wesentlichen Gründe, warum sich der klinische Zustand weniger verbesserte. Die Ergebnisse dieses Vergleiches bestätigen die Notwendigkeit, dass sich die Einrichtungen der NNFR auf immer schwerer betroffene, intensivpflichtige und beatmete Patienten einstellen müssen.