Article

New tools that capture hand function in everyday activities and contexts are
needed for assessing children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy. This study
evaluates a wearable wrist monitor and tests the hypothesis that wrist extension
frequency (FreqE) is an appropriate indicator of functional hand use. METHOD:
Fifteen children (four females,
11 males; age range 6-12y; mean age 10y [SD 2y])
with hemiplegia (seven at level I and eight at level II on the Manual Ability
Classification System) participated in the Assisting Hand Assessment (AHA) while
wearing the wrist monitor. FreqEs were captured via the wrist monitor and
validated using video analysis. Correlations between FreqE and AHA scores were
calculated and a multivariate linear regression was conducted to explore other
measures of wrist activity. RESULTS: Wrist extensions observed in video analyses
were reliably detected by the wrist monitor (intraclass correlation coefficient,
r=0.88; p<0.001) and were strongly correlated with the AHA scores (r=0.93;
p<0.001). AHA scores were significantly correlated with FreqE (r=0.80; p=0.001)
and the range of wrist extensions/flexions (r=0.70; p=0.008). The multivariate
linear regression combining the FreqE and range of wrist extensions/flexions
yielded a strong correlation with AHA scores (r=0.84; p=0.0043). INTERPRETATION:
The wearable wrist monitor may offer a convenient, valid alternative to observer
reports for functional assessments of the hemiplegic hand in everyday contexts.
CI - (c) The Authors. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology (c) 2011 Mac Keith
Press.

Langue : ANGLAIS