title: Progression of Gait Ataxia in Patients with Degenerative Cerebellar Disorders: a 4-Year Follow-Up Study.
abstract: In the present study, the progression of gait impairment in a group of patients with primary degenerative cerebellar ataxias was observed over a period of 4 years. A total of 30 patients underwent an initial gait analysis study, and thereafter only 12 were evaluated because they completed the 2- and 4-year follow-up evaluations. Time-distance parameters, trunk and joint range of motion (RoM), and variability parameters (e.g., coefficients of variation) were measured at the baseline and at each follow-up evaluation. The scale for the assessment and rating of ataxia (SARA) was used to evaluate disease severity. We found a significant increase in the SARA score at both the 2- and 4-year follow-up evaluations. Almost all the gait variables changed significantly only at the 4-year follow-up. Particularly, we found a significant decrease in the step length and in the hip, knee, and ankle joint RoM values and noted a significant increase in the trunk rotation RoM and stride-to-stride and step length variability. Furthermore, a significant difference in ankle joint RoM was found between spinocerebellar ataxia and sporadic adult-onset ataxia patients, with the value being lower in the former group of patients. Our findings suggest that patients with degenerative cerebellar ataxias exhibit gait decline after 4 years from the baseline. Moreover, patients try to maintain an effective gait by adopting different compensatory mechanisms during the course of the disease in spite of disease progression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Faggiana 1668, 40100, Latina, Italy. mariano.serrao@uniroma1.it.|Rehabilitation Centre Policlinico Italia, Piazza del Campidano 6, 00162, Rome, Italy. mariano.serrao@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Mariano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Serrao
authors.affiliation: Rehabilitation Centre Policlinico Italia, Piazza del Campidano 6, 00162, Rome, Italy.|Biolab3, Department of Engineering, Roma TRE University, Via Vito Volterra 62, 00149, Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Giorgia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chini
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Faggiana 1668, 40100, Latina, Italy.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Casali
authors.affiliation: Fondazione Don Gnocchi Foundation, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Carmela
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Conte
authors.affiliation: Rehabilitation Centre Policlinico Italia, Piazza del Campidano 6, 00162, Rome, Italy.|Biolab3, Department of Engineering, Roma TRE University, Via Vito Volterra 62, 00149, Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rinaldi
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, INAIL, Via Fontana Candida 1, 00040, Monte Porzio Catone, Italy.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ranavolo
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Faggiana 1668, 40100, Latina, Italy.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marcotulli
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Faggiana 1668, 40100, Latina, Italy.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Leonardi
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Faggiana 1668, 40100, Latina, Italy.
authors.forename: Gaia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fragiotta
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Via Eudossiana 18, 00184, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabiano
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bini
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurophysiology of Vision and Neurophthalmology, G.B. Bietti Foundation-IRCCS, Via Livenza 3, 00198, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Coppola
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Faggiana 1668, 40100, Latina, Italy.|IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli (IS), Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pierelli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002524:Cerebellar Ataxia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002526:Cerebellar Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology*; D020234:Gait Ataxia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
keywords: Cerebellar ataxia; Gait; Longitudinal; Phenotype