Lamberti Nicola, Manfredini Fabio, Lissom Luc Oscar, Lavezzi Susanna, Basaglia Nino, Straudi Sofia
Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy.
Unit of Rehabilitation Medicine, University Hospital of Ferrara, 44124 Ferrara, Italy.
Medicina (Kaunas). 2021 Nov 3;57(11):1200. doi: 10.3390/medicina57111200.
Robot-assisted gait training (RAGT) could be a rehabilitation option for patients after experiencing a stroke. This study aims to determine the sex-related response to robot-assisted gait training in a cohort of subacute stroke patients considering mixed results previously reported. In this study, 236 participants (145 males, 91 females) were admitted to a rehabilitation facility after experiencing a stroke and performed RAGT within a multidisciplinary rehabilitation program. Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and Functional Ambulatory Category (FAC) were assessed at admission and discharge to determine sex-related outcomes. At the baseline, no significant difference among sexes was observed. At the end of rehabilitation, both males and females exhibited significant improvements in FIM (71% of males and 80% of females reaching the MCID cut-off value) and FAC (∆score: men 1.9 ± 1.0; women 2.1 ± 1.1). A more remarkable improvement was observed in women of the whole population during the study, but statistical significance was not reached. When analysing the FAC variations with respect to the total number of RAGT sessions, a more significant improvement was observed in women than men ( = 0.025). In conclusion, among subacute stroke patients, benefits were observed following RAGT during a multidisciplinary rehabilitation program in both sexes. A greater significant recovery for women with an ischemic stroke or concerning the number of sessions attended was also highlighted. The use of gait robotics for female patients may favour a selective functional recovery after stroke.
机器人辅助步态训练（RAGT）可能是中风患者的一种康复选择。考虑到先前报道的结果不一，本研究旨在确定亚急性中风患者队列中与性别相关的对机器人辅助步态训练的反应。在本研究中，236名参与者（145名男性，91名女性）中风后入住康复机构，并在多学科康复计划中进行了RAGT。在入院和出院时评估功能独立性测量（FIM）和功能步行分类（FAC），以确定与性别相关的结果。在基线时，未观察到性别之间的显著差异。康复结束时，男性和女性的FIM（71%的男性和80%的女性达到最小临床重要差异临界值）和FAC（得分变化：男性1.9±1.0；女性2.1±1.1）均有显著改善。在研究期间，整个人口中女性的改善更为显著，但未达到统计学显著性。在分析FAC相对于RAGT总疗程数的变化时，女性的改善比男性更显著（P = 0.025）。总之，在亚急性中风患者中，在多学科康复计划中进行RAGT后，两性均观察到益处。还强调了缺血性中风女性或就参加的疗程数而言有更大的显著恢复。对女性患者使用步态机器人可能有利于中风后的选择性功能恢复。
