A Comparative Study on Recovery of Motor Function in Stroke Patients with Corona Radiata Infarcts and Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Purpose: Our goal was to determine the difference in motor recovery between two stroke types: the corona radiata (CR) infarct type and the intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) type, by using assessment methods for motor functions. Methods: Forty subjects who were diagnosed as having had a stroke with an infarct (men: 11, women: 9, mean age: $62.25{\pm}7.59$) or a stroke with an ICH (men: 12, women: 8, mean age: $59.75{\pm}6.11$) were recruited. In all subjects, motor functions of the affected extremities were measured 2 times: at stroke onset (initial) and 6 months after the onset (final) by the motricity index (MI), the modified Brunnstrom classification (MBC), and functional ambulatory category (FAC). We compared the final assessment with the initial one. Results: Motor functions of all patients improved with the passing of time. All scores of motor function assessment in the ICH type were higher than in the infarct type. Comparing the initial assessment with the final one, upper MI and MBC scores of the upper extremities were significantly different between the two stroke types (p<0.05), but lower MI and FAC scores of the lower extremities were not (p>0.05). Conclusion: These findings imply that patterns of motor recovery in patients with either the infarct type or the ICH type of stroke change for the better over time. The degree of motor recovery in the ICH type was better than in the infarct type. Therefore, one can introduce clinical interventions by the aspect of progress in functional motor recovery.