Impairments in Postural Control and Retest Reliability of Dynamic Posturographic Measures After Lung Transplantation

Rehabilitative goals for patients undergoing lung retransplantation

Lung retransplantation (LRT) involves a second or subsequent lung transplant (LT) in a patient whose first transplanted graft has failed. LRT is the only treatment option for irreversible lung allograft failure caused by acute graft failure, chronic lung allograft dysfunction, or postoperative complications of bronchial anastomosis. Prehabilitation (rehabilitation before LT), while patients are on the waiting list, is recognized as an essential component of the therapeutic regimen and should be offered throughout the waiting period from the moment of listing until transplantation. LRT is particularly fraught with challenges, and prehabilitation to reduce frailty is one of the few opportunities to address modifiable risk factors (such as functional and motor impairments) in a patient population in which there is clearly room to improve outcomes. Although rehabilitative outcomes and quality of life in patients receiving or awaiting LT have gained increased interest, there is a paucity of data on rehabilitation in patients undergoing LRT. Frailty is one of the few modifiable risk factors of retransplantation that is potentially preventable. As such, it is imperative that professionals involved in the field of retransplantation conduct research specifically exploring rehabilitative techniques and outcomes of value for patients receiving LRT, because this area remains unexplored.

Reliability and learning effects of repeated exposure to the Bertec Balance Advantage sensory organisation test in healthy individuals

BACKGROUND

The Sensory Organisation Test (SOT) of computerised dynamic posturography (CDP) is a well-established clinical test used to measure postural control. Advances in technology have enabled new CDP systems to use immersive virtual reality, such as the Bertec® Balance Advantage®. While the Bertec provides an innovative approach to posturography, the reliability and learning effects of the Bertec in administering the SOT has not been thoroughly investigated.

RESEARCH QUESTION

To evaluate the reliability and performance during repeated administration of the Bertec® Balance Advantage® SOT.

METHODS

Fourteen healthy adults (age 27.17 ± 5.5years; 10 females) participated. Each participant performed five SOTs over three sessions. The first two sessions were approximately two days apart and the third one month later. In the first two sessions, two SOTs were conducted, and in the third session, one was performed. Composite, equilibrium, and ratio scores were used for analysis.

RESULTS

Poor within-session reliability was found in the first session for the composite score (ICC: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.32-0.91), which improved by the second session (ICC: 0.84, 95% CI: 0.58-0.94). Poor within-session reliability (ICC <0.5) was found for all ratio and equilibrium scores, except for the equilibrium score of condition 3, which demonstrated moderate reliability (ICC: 0.84, 95% CI: 0.57-0.95). Poor between-session reliability was found for all outcomes. There was an increase in the composite and equilibrium scores for conditions 5 and 6 over the 5 tests, which plateaued after the fourth test, and were retained at 1 month.

SIGNIFICANCE

The data demonstrate a steady increase in performance with repeated exposure to the Bertec SOT, which was maintained one month later, indicating a learning effect. We recommend that a minimum of two familiarisation sessions should be administered to establish baseline performance and improve reliability.

Migraine With Aura Is Related to Delayed Motor Control Reaction and Imbalance Following External Perturbations

Background: It is evidenced that migraineurs present balance deficits. However, the balance recovery following unexpected ground perturbations, which reflect conditions of everyday activities, has not been investigated in this population. Aim: We aimed to assess the reactive postural responses among patients with migraine with and without aura, chronic migraine, and controls. We further aimed to assess the factors associated with greater self-report of falls. Methods: Ninety patients diagnosed by headache specialists were equally classified into three migraine subgroups according to the presence of aura and chronic migraine. Thirty controls were also recruited. All participants underwent the motor control test (MCT) and adaptation test (ADT) protocols of dynamic posturography tests (EquiTest®, NeuroCom, USA). Clinical and headache features and information on falls in the previous year, fear of falling, and vestibular symptoms were also assessed. Results: Patients with aura presented a greater sway area in most of the MCT conditions than the other three groups (p = 0.001). The aura group also presented delayed latency responses after perturbations compared with controls and patients without aura (p < 0.03). In the ADT, a greater sway area was observed in patients with aura than in groups without aura, chronic migraine, and controls (p < 0.0001). The MCT and ADT sway area, the frequency of aura, and the fear of falling explained 46% of the falls in the previous 12 months. Conclusion: Patients with aura exhibited greater delay and sway area after unexpected ground perturbations than controls and other migraine subgroups, which are related to the reported number of falls.