Prediction of function after stroke: A critical review

SUMMARY A review of 33 studies identifies the factors of prior stroke, older age, urinary and bowel incontinence, and visuo-spatial deficits as adverse prognostic indicators of function. No relationship is shown between sex, hemisphere of stroke, and functional outcome. Functional admission score is a strong predictor of discharge functional status, but its relationship with improvement in function is unclear. Findings regarding the prognostic value of severity of paralysis and onset-admission delay are ambiguous. Comparison among studies is hindered by differences In patient samples, timing of assessments, criteria by which outcome is measured and measuring instrument used. Future studies should measure function at set tunes post-stroke, use functional scales whose reliability and validity is well established, and be conduct-ed in several treatment centres to ensure that the sample is representative of the population to which the predictor measure is to be applied. Stroke Vol 17, No 4, 1986 STROKE as a leading cause of disability necessitates the expenditure of considerable resources for the reha-bilitation of its victims. As a result, identifying factors that predict functional recovery after stroke has bee