Characteristics of 4 stroke scales for the detection of changes in clinical signs in the acute phase of stroke

Objectives: Detection of minor changes in clinical signs of stroke may be of interest when evaluating treatment interventions. This study analyzes the internal structure of four frequently used stroke scales and compares them for their sensitivity to detect changes in neurologic signs in the first week after acute stroke. Methods: A cohort of 77 hospitalized acute stroke patients was scored by the Mathew, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Scandinavian, and the Orgogozo scales within 48 hours of hospital admission and again 7 days later. Results: Scores on different scales correlated well with each other (range of absolute value of Spearman R,.82-.91; P