From the results of this study, the author considers the conclusions listed below to be most relevant.
(1) Sixty-nine per cent of the 100 hemiplegic patients in this study had some degree of muscle atrophy in the involved upper extremities.
(2) Hemiplegic amyotrophy is muscle atrophy resulting from a central origin.
(3) Important factors in the etiology of hemiplegic amyotrophy are the interrelationships of vasomotor system dysfunctions and disturbances of the central trophic system of the muscle and/or peripheral nerves.
(4) The locations of the above-mentioned systems have not been exactly determined, but the author believes that these areas play as important a role in inducing hemiplegic amyotrophy as does the parietal lobe.
(5) Hemispheric dominance is an important factor in inducing hemiplegic amyotrophy.
(6) The relationship of hemiplegic amyotrophy to severity of motor im-pairment suggests that (in addition to the possible close proximity of the vaso-motor and central trophic systems to the pyramidal tract) lower motor neurons, involved by upper motor neurons, may possibly induce denervation atrophy.
To approach the problem of peripheral motor neuron impairment, a follow-ing paper will deal with the author's examinations of hemiplegic patients by means of measuring motor nerve conduction velocities of ulnar nerves, the results of which will be compared with the patients' clinical data.
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