title: Frequency of discriminative sensory loss in the hand after stroke in a rehabilitation setting.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Somatosensory loss following stroke is common, with negative consequences for functional outcome. However, existing studies typically do not include quantitative measures of discriminative sensibility. The aim of this study was to quantify the proportion of stroke patients presenting with discriminative sensory loss of the hand in the post-acute rehabilitation phase.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective cohort study of stroke survivors presenting for rehabilitation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-one consecutive patients admitted to a metropolitan rehabilitation centre over a continuous 12-month period who met selection criteria.
  
  
  METHODS
  Quantitative measures of touch discrimination and limb position sense, with high re-test reliability, good discriminative test properties and objective criteria of abnormality, were employed. Both upper limbs were tested, in counterbalanced order.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Impaired touch discrimination was identified in the hand contralateral to the lesion in 47% of patients, and in the ipsilesional hand in 16%. Forty-nine percent showed impaired limb position sense in the contralesional limb and 20% in the ipsilesional limb. Sixty-seven percent demonstrated impairment of at least one modality in the contralesional limb. Ipsilesional impairment was less severe.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Discriminative sensory impairment was quantified in the contralesional hand in approximately half of stroke patients presenting for rehabilitation. A clinically significant number also experienced impairment in the ipsilesional "unaffected" hand.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neuro-rehabilitation and Recovery, National Stroke Research Institute, Florey Neuroscience Institutes, Level 2, Neurosciences Building, Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital, Austin Health, 300 Waterdale Road, Heidelberg Heights, Victoria, 3081, Australia. lcarey@nsri.org.au
authors.forename: Leeanne M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Carey
authors.forename: Thomas A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Matyas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011434:Proprioception / Q000502:physiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D020886:Somatosensory Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology*