Abstract
The objective of this study was three-fold: 1. To measure brachial-ankle PWV (baPWV) in fifteen stroke patients with hemiplegia (9 males and 6 females; 60±10 years old) 2. To examine changes in baPWV due to rehabilitation by physiotherapy; and 3. To evaluate the effects of an increase in physical activities on baPWV.
BaPWV decreased significantly from 1,885±374 before rehabilitation to 1,770±374 cm/sec after rehabilitation (p<0.0005) on the paralyzed side and from 1,714±374 to 1,568±364 cm/sec(p<0.001) on the non-paralyzed side. The serum total cholesterol level did not evidence significant change. The FIM, which represents the degree of functional independence, increased significantly from 52±21 to 75±29 (p<0.0005). A significant positive correlation (r=0.58, p<0.05) was observed between ΔFIM and ΔbaPWV on the paralyzed side.
In stroke patients with motor disorders due to hemiplegia, baPWV was significantly higher on the paralyzed side than on the non-paralyzed side, suggesting a decrease in the arterial extensibility due to motor paralysis. Furthermore, baPWV was improved by rehabilitation, and this improvement was related to an increase in physical activities. It is hence concluded that baPWV may be considered an effective index of the rehabilitation.