Hand dysfunction and its recovery in the acute period of lacunar ischemic stroke

Objective: to establish the frequency of occurrence of impaired hand function and evaluate the dynamics of its recovery in patients with lacunar ischemic stroke (LS). Material and Methods. 137 patients with acute LS were examined. All patients underwent clinical and neurological examination with a quantitative assessment of strength, sensitivity, coordination, praxis and hand function according to the use of Action Research Arm Test and 9-Hole Peg Test. Results. Hand dysfunction was revealed in 79% of patients with LS. The most pronounced disorders were observed with purely motor and sensorimotor variants of LS. In the first two weeks after the development of LS, a significant improvement, including complete restoration of upper limb function, was observed in 79% of patients and was associated with the initial severity of disorders. «Dysarthria - clumsy hand» syndrome more often than other variants of LS was characterized by a complete recovery of manual capacity. Conclusion. Hand function is impaired in most patients with acute lacunar stroke. The rate of its recovery depends on the initial severity of hand dysfunction and the lacunar stroke clinical variant. The obtained data can be used in the development of individual rehabilitation programs for this category of patients