한빛사논문
충남대학교병원
Ja Young Choi, MD, PhD1; Seung Ki Kim, MD2; Juntaek Hong, MD3; Hankyul Park, MD4; Shin-seung Yang, MD, PhD1; Dongho Park, MS5,6; Min-Keun Song, MD, PhD7
1Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Chungnam National University Hospital, Daejeon, Korea
2Department and Rehabilitation Medicine, Yongin Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Yongin, Korea
3Department and Research Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
4Department and Rehabilitation Medicine, Seoul Rehabilitation Hospital, Seoul, Korea
5George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
6Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Machines, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
7Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Chonnam National University Medical School and Hospital, Gwangju, Korea
Corresponding Author: Min-Keun Song, MD, PhD
Abstract
Importance: Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common developmental motor disorder in children. Robot-assisted gait training (RAGT) using a wearable robot can provide intensive overground walking experience.
Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of overground RAGT in children with CP using an untethered, torque-assisted, wearable exoskeletal robot.
Design, setting, and participants: This multicenter, single-blind randomized clinical trial was conducted from September 1, 2021, to March 31, 2023, at 5 rehabilitation institutions in Korea. Ninety children with CP in Gross Motor Function Classification System levels II to IV were randomized.
Intervention: The RAGT group underwent 18 sessions of RAGT during 6 weeks, whereas the control group received standard physical therapy for the same number of sessions during the same period.
Main outcome and measures: The primary outcome measure was the Gross Motor Function Measure 88 (GMFM-88) score. Secondary outcome measures were the GMFM-66, Pediatric Balance Scale, selective control assessment of the lower extremity, Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Computer Adaptive Test (PEDI-CAT), 6-minute walking test scores (distance and oxygen consumption), muscle and fat mass via bioelectrical impedance analysis, and gait parameters measured via 3-dimensional analysis. All assessments were performed for all patients at baseline, at the end of the 6-week intervention, and after the 4-week follow-up.
Results: Of the 90 children (mean [SD] age, 9.51 [2.48] years; 49 [54.4%] male and 41 [45.6%] female) in the study, 78 (86.7%) completed the intervention, with 37 participants (mean [SD] age, 9.57 [2.38] years; 19 [51.4%] male) and 41 participants (mean [SD] age, 9.32 [2.37] years; 26 [63.4%] male) randomly assigned to the RAGT and control groups, respectively. Changes in the RAGT group significantly exceeded changes in the control group in GMFM-88 total (mean difference, 2.64; 95% CI, 0.50-4.78), GMFM-E (mean difference, 2.70; 95% CI, 0.08-5.33), GMFM-66 (mean difference, 1.31; 95% CI, 0.01-2.60), and PEDI-CAT responsibility domain scores (mean difference, 2.52; 95% CI, 0.42-4.63), indicating independence in daily living at postintervention assessment. At the 4-week follow-up, the RAGT group showed significantly greater improvements in balance control (mean difference, 1.48; 95% CI, 0.03-2.94) and Gait Deviation Index (mean difference, 6.48; 95% CI, 2.77-10.19) compared with the control group.
Conclusions and relevance: In this randomized clinical trial, overground RAGT using a wearable robot significantly improved gross motor function and gait pattern. This new torque-assisted wearable exoskeletal robot, based on assist-as-needed control, may complement standard rehabilitation by providing adequate assistance and therapeutic support to children with CP.
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