title: Early motor predictors of recovery in patients with severe traumatic brain injury.
abstract: METHODS
  Retrospective observational study.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To compare motor variables between patients with severe traumatic brain injury who emerge and patients who do not emerge from vegetative state, in an attempt to identify early motor manifestations associated with consistent patient improvement.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients were divided into two groups: group 1, patients who emerged from vegetative state attaining at least a state of functional interactive communication and/or functional use of two different objects (n = 8); and group 2, patients who did not emerge (n = 7). Twenty-one motor variables were compared weekly between groups until the end of the treatment programme.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant differences were observed in head control (p = 0.051) and head turning (p = 0.002) variables, as well as in visual fixation and pursuit (p = 0.051) after a median of 41 days of therapy; and in head control and head turning; visual fixation and pursuit; phonation; pain localization, reach and grasp, and trunk movement (p ≤ 0.051) after a median of 212 days of programme duration.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Head turning, together with or immediately followed by visual pursuit and fixation, proved to be clinically significant variables associated with recovery from vegetative state to higher states of consciousness beyond minimally conscious state.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, FLENI Rehabilitation Institute, Escobar, Argentina. mtamashiro@fleni.org.ar
authors.forename: Mercedes
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tamashiro
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cozzo
authors.forename: Martín
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mattei
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Salierno
authors.forename: María Elisa
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Rivas
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Alzúa
authors.forename: Lisandro
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Olmos
authors.forename: Lucas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bonamico
authors.forename: Ramón
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Leiguarda
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018458:Persistent Vegetative State / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D011379:Prognosis; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult