A pilot study for evaluation of hypotonia in children with neurofibromatosis type 1.
There are currently no objective criteria to evaluate pediatric hypotonia. The purpose of this pilot study was to identify diagnostic criteria for assessing hypotonia in children with neurofibromatosis type 1. Fifty-five subjects between the ages of 1 and 7 years with a diagnosis of neurofibromatosis type 1 were evaluated. A physical therapist recorded a subjective tone assessment and objective tone metrics, including ankle dorsiflexion, knee extension, hip abduction, triceps fat percentage, grip strength, and head lag during a pull-to-sit test. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed the presence of head lag paired with increased hip range of motion was a significant predictor of hypotonia. The presence of head lag on a pull-to-sit test paired with increased hip range of motion is an accurate predictor of hypotonia in children with neurofibromatosis type 1. These objective measures should be prospectively evaluated in other pediatric populations for their ability to predict hypotonia.
Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA.
Elizabeth A
EA
Soucy
Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA.
Lauren E
LE
Wessel
Department of Biostatistics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA.
Feng
F
Gao
Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA.
Anne C
AC
Albers
Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA.
David H
DH
Gutmann
Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA cmd3491@bjc.org.
Courtney M
CM
Dunn
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009123:Muscle Hypotonia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D009456:Neurofibromatosis 1 / Q000150:complications*; D010865:Pilot Projects
grip strength; head lag; hip abduction; hypotonia; muscle tone; neurofibromatosis type 1