Muscular atrophy in the hemiplegic thigh in patients after stroke.

OBJECTIVES

This study evaluated muscular atrophy in the hemiplegic limbs by assessing the muscle volume of the thighs in stroke patients.

DESIGN

Muscle volume of the bilateral thighs was determined by computed tomographic scanning in 50 hemiplegic patients after stroke.

RESULTS

The average muscle volume in the hemiplegic side was significantly lower than that in the nonhemiplegic side. When the patients were divided into the two groups aged <65 yr old and >/=65 yr, age-dependent reduction in the muscle volume was significant only in the nonhemiplegic side. In addition, the ratio of the muscle volume in hemiplegic side to that in non-hemiplegic side was lower in the younger group than in the older group, with close to significance (P = 0.07). Muscle volume in both hemiplegic and nonhemiplegic sides correlated positively with Barthel index and negatively with patient age.

CONCLUSION

Muscle volume decreases in the hemiplegic side in stroke patients.