Five-year motor functional outcome in children with acquired brain injury. Yet to the end of the story?

ABSTRACT

Purpose: The description of motor changes and clinical evolution of a pediatric cohort with acquired brain injury (ABI) over 5 years by the functional independence measure for children (WeeFIM). Methods: We analyzed retrospective data from 496 patients (aged 0–18 years) with severe ABI admitted for rehabilitation. WeeFIM scores and disability rating scale (reference scale) were collected at admission, discharge and yearly, up to year 5. Results: Functional limitations gradually reduced after ABI, but children still had residual disabilities at the endpoint. Seventeen percent of patients demonstrated no improvement at WeeFIM. Gait analysis showed that decreased WeeFIM scores in the mobility domain are associated with slower and shorter steps, and increased step width, compensating for imbalance. Conclusions: Five years after ABI, improvement is still found in the mobility domain of WeeFIM. This work adds evidence that margin still exists at least until year 5 after injury for profitably continuing the rehabilitation effort.

KEYWORDS:

• Acquired brain injury
• brain trauma
• children
• functional independence measure for children
• gait analysis

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all the therapists and staff of the Acquired Brain Injury unit who provided flawless assistance during the patients’ evaluation and treatment.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Supplemental data

Supplemental data for this article can be access at www.tandfonline/com/IPDR.