Ultrasound-guided ethyl alcohol injection to the deep branch of the ulnar nerve to relieve hand spasticity in stroke patients: A case series

Translational Neuroscience

卷:12

Choi Gyu-Sik¹  Chang Min Cheol²  Boudier-Revéret Mathieu³ 

[1] Cheokbareun Rehabilitation Clinic, Pohang-Si, Gyeonsangbuk-Do, South Korea;

[2] Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Namku, Taegu, Republic of Korea;

[3] Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Hôtel-Dieu du Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, 3840, Saint-Urbain St., Montreal, QC, H2W 1T8, Canada;

关键词: ulnar nerve;    muscle spasticity;    stroke;   

DOI  :  10.1515/tnsci-2020-0188

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Hand spasticity with a flexor pattern is a common problem affecting stroke patients and can result in pain, contractures, esthetic concerns, skin maceration, and overall loss of function. Poststroke (≥6 months) hemiparetic adult patients having a Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) score of ≥1 for metacarpophalangeal flexion and thumb adduction spasticity were selected to receive an ultrasound-guided 20% ethyl alcohol block performed perineurally at the level of the deep branch of the ulnar nerve. Their MAS scores were evaluated pretreatment at 1 month and the change in MAS scores was assessed using Wilcoxon’s test. The threshold for statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. The mean MAS score for the flexor muscles of the 5 MCP joints and for thumb adduction was reduced from 3.3 ± 0.5 at pretreatment to 0.9 ± 0.5 at 1 month after the injection for the 10 patients. One month after the injection, the MAS scores were significantly reduced compared with those at pretreatment (p < 0.001), without complications. These are encouraging results showing that ultrasound-guided alcohol blocks of the deep branch of the ulnar nerve are safe and can help chronic stroke patients with metacarpophalangeal flexion and thumb adduction spasticity at 1 month.

【 授权许可】

Unknown