Objective : An early prognosis of arm recovery is a major clinical issue in stroke patients. The aim of this study was to assess the prognostic value of 4 simple bedside tests.
Methods : Thirty-four patients having had an acute stroke were evaluated on days 7, 14, 40, and 80 after the stroke event. The assessment included 4 potential predictors of arm recovery (Active Finger Extension (AFE), Shoulder Abduction (SA), Shoulder Shrug (SS), and Hand Movement Scale (HMS)) and 3 outcome measures evaluating arm function (Box and Block Test (BBT), Nine Hole Peg Test (HNPT), and Fugl-Meyer arm subtest (FugM)). Forward stepwise multiple linear regression was conducted to clarify the prognostic role of the AFE, SS, SA and HMS (all performed 7 days after admission) on BBT, HNPT, and FugM at different times post-stroke (on days 14, 40, and 80).
Results : The Hand Movement Scale was the most powerful prognostic factor. HMS proved to be a strong early predictor of short-, medium- and long-term post-stroke recovery.
Conclusion : The Hand Movement Scale is a reliable early predictor of the recovery of arm function in acute stroke patients.
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