Relationship of sympathetic skin response and clinical presentation in acute cerebral infarction

Objective To investigate the abnormal pattern of sympathetic skin response(SSR)in patients with acute cerebral infarction and its correlation with clinical presentation of the patients.Methods 94 patients with acute cerebral infarction were divided into three groups:cortical-subcortical,basal ganglia-thalamus and pons group.Barthel index(BI)and national institute of health stroke scale(MESSS)(缩写与全称不符)were studied on the first day after they admitted to hospital,with grading was made according to the degree of paralysis as well.SSR was performed in all the patients within 3 days after they entered hospital.Results(1)The abnormality rate of SSR was 40.4%.The abnormality rate in basal ganglia-thalamus group was the highest,and pons group was the lowest.(2)The abnormality of SSR and disappearance of waveform had positive correlation with degree of paralysis and MESSS,and negative correlation with BI,however,prolonged latency and low amplitude had no correlation with them.Conclusion(1)Sympathetic reflex activity is suppressed after acute cerebral infarction.SSR can be used as an objective index to asses quantitatively the condition of sympathetic nerve function.(2)The abnormality of SSR and disappearance of waveform reflect the impairment condition of motor function.