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Biomedical subjects

R Silverberg

Publications and source records attributed to R Silverberg.

30 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1978

Global hemianaesthesia: a parietal perceptual distortion suggesting non-organic illness.

In two patients, lesions in the non-dominant parietal lobe were associated with global anaesthesia to all sensory modalities affecting the opposite half of the body. A striking inconsistency existed between the complaints of limb anaesthesia and the grossly preserved motor and postural control of the involved limb. The gross discrepancy between complaint and functional ability prompted early consideration of a "non-organic" diagnosis. It is suggested that this unusual sensory deficit may be due to distorted perception of somatosensory stimuli, representing another disorder of body schema associated with parietal lobe lesions. The diagnosis of non-organic illness may then be avoided by focusing on a search for parietal disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

[Cardiokymography: noninvasive assessment of the regional myocardial wall motion in the detection of coronary artery disease (author's transl)].

Cardiokymography is a technique to assess myocardial wall motion by means of an electromagnetic field induced over the left precordium. The normal cardiokymogram (CKG) is characterized predominantly by systolic inward movement. An abnormal contraction pattern--either at rest or provoked by a stress test--reveals a different tracing with decreased or absent systolic inward motion and/or systolic outward motion (bulging). In 50 patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) the CKG was recorded before and after treadmill exercise test and the results compared to coronary angiography. Out of 33 patients with angiographically documented CAD (more than 50% luminal narrowing) 25 showed an abnormal CKG after exercise. There was one false positive postexercise CKG in the group of 17 patients without angiographically documented CAD. The CKG allows the qualitative assessment of regional myocardial wall motion, which is a sensitive and specific marker of ischemia. In conjunction with an ECG-stress test the CKG helps to detect the evolving ischemic abnormalities of myocardial contraction. The CKG represents a marker of ischemia independent of the ECG and helps to improve the diagnostic accuracy of stress testing for detection of CAD. The stress CKG is especially advantageous in those cases in which the interpretation of the stress ECG is difficult or even not possible. Its simple and inexpensive technique makes it a useful adjunct to the stress ECG in the diagnosis of CAD.

Aged↗
PubMed1976

Cerebral dominance for consciousness.

In a prospective study we evaluated the relationship of level of consciousness to hemispheric side of lesion following acute cerebrovascular injury. Fifty-seven percent of patients with left hemispheric lesions had initial impairment of consciousness, in contrast to 25% with right-sided damage.

Cerebrovascular Disorders↗
PubMed1975

Hemianopic colour blindness.

A man developed cortical blindness after cerebral infarction in the distribution of both posterior cerebral arteries. When he recovered from this condition, he was found to be colour blind in the left visual field, but not in the right. This unusual situation resulted in apparently contradictory performances on hemifield and free-field tasks of colour discrimination, naming, and recognition. The contradictions may be explained by interhemispheric competition between a hemisphere which could discriminate colours and a hemisphere which was colour blind.

Agnosia↗
PubMed1975

Associative visual agnosia without alexia.

A brain-damaged man was unable to appreciate the nature of objects and meaningful nonverbal symbols presented visually, although he could see, draw, describe, and match these stimuli. He had no difficulty understanding visually presented words. Auditory and tactile recognition of both verbal and nonverbal stimuli were normal. Our findings provide evidence that two neuropsychologic mechanisms were responsible for this disorder. One was an interhemispheric visual-verbal disconnection; the other was a specific categorization defect for visual, nonverba, meaningful stimuli. Neither mechanism alone was sufficient; both were necessary.

Agnosia↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A survey of the prevalence and application of chest physical therapy in U.S. burn centers.

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and application of chest physical therapy (CPT) in burn centers. Respiratory therapists primarily administered CPT, and suctioning and coughing were the most frequently used modalities. Further study of the efficacy of treatment techniques is needed to develop congruous standards for CPT after a burn injury.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The effects of soft tissue mobilization on the immature burn scar: results of a pilot study.

The purpose of this pilot study was determine the effects of soft tissue mobilization (STM) on range of motion (ROM), scar pliability, and vascularity. Patients received either one treatment session of standard physical therapy or standard physical therapy plus 10 to 15 minutes of STM. Before and after ROM, scar pliability and vascularity measurements were obtained. The student's t test was used to compare measurements and revealed the STM group (n = 5) had significant (p < 0.10) gains in wrist extension and radial deviation, and the control group (n = 5) had significant gains in wrist extension and ulnar deviation. No significant difference was found in ROM, scar pliability, and vascularity when the STM group was compared to the control group. Further study of a larger sample over multiple treatment sessions is necessary to determine the true efficacy of STM.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The physical, functional, and developmental outcome of pediatric burn survivors from 1 to 12 months postinjury.

Fifty-one children with an average age of 27 months and who had sustained a burn injury were tested at 1, 6, and 12 months postinjury to determine their physical, functional, and developmental outcomes. Most parents were either African-American or Hispanic, lived on public assistance, and had a high school education or less. Most children had normal range of motion and were appropriate for their age in self-care skills. On the basis of the Home Screening Questionnaire, 48% of the children came from suspect home environments. Developmental delays were noted in language acquisition that persisted over the first year postburn. Although the outcomes of these burn injuries were good in physical and functional areas, the developmental findings raised concerns. The results alert clinicians to screen for potential developmental problems during the burned child's recovery phase and to include appropriate developmental activities and parental guidance in the treatment plan.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Gait variables of patients after lower extremity burn injuries.

Functional ambulation is an expected outcome of physical therapy after burn injuries on the lower extremities. The purpose of this study was to document temporal and spatial gait parameters of adult patients with the use of the GAITRite system (CIR Systems Inc, Clifton, NJ) after the patients were burned on their lower extremities and to compare these results with previous data reported for normal subjects. Twenty-five adults with lower extremity burns (19 men and 6 women; mean age, 35.6+/-8.3 years) were evaluated within 5 days of discharge from an acute care facility. The GAITRite system, which consists of an electronic walkway that contains 6 sensor pads encapsulated in a rolled-up carpet, was used to collect temporal and spatial variables. The patients walked at their preferred rate of ambulation and completed 2 passes; the 2 passes were then averaged by the software to determine the patients' gait parameters. A 2-tailed t test was used for comparison of the mean values for the patients and the previously published data. The results indicated that for both men and women, cycle time and base of support were significantly higher (P < or = .01) in the patients with burn injuries than in normal subjects. For men, all of the remaining parameters were significantly lower (P < or = .01) in the patients with burns except stride length, which was not significantly different (P > .05). For women, stance time as a percentage of the gait cycle and cadence, velocity, step length, and stride length, were all significantly lower (P < or = .01) in the patients with burn injuries, whereas double support as a percentage of the gait cycle was not significantly different (P > .05) between the 2 groups. These results indicate that immediately after an acute care hospitalization, patients with lower extremity burns have significantly different gait patterns than gender-and age-matched normal subjects. Future studies are necessary to determine whether these impairments in gait limit the functional abilities of a patient.

Adult↗