Clinical outcome assessments of motor status in patients undergoing brain tumor surgery

Abstract

Introduction: Clinical outcome assessment (COA) is an important instrument for testing the effectiveness of treatments and for supporting healthcare professionals on decision-making. This review aims to assess the use of COAs, and the evaluation time points of motor status in patients with brain tumor (BT) undergoing surgery.

Methods: We performed a scoping review through MEDLINE, EMBASE, and LILACS databases, looking for original studies in primary or secondary BT, having motor function status as the primary outcome.

Exclusion criteria: mixed sample, BT recurrence, and an unspecific description of motor deficits evaluation.

Results: Nine studies met the eligibility criteria. There were 449 patients assessed. A total of 18 scales evaluated these BT patients, 12 performance outcomes measures (PerfO) tested motor function. Four scales were the clinician-reported outcome measures (ClinRO) found in this review, two assessed performance status, and two rated ambulation. Two patient-reported outcome measures (PRO) appraised functionality.

Conclusions: A variety of instruments were used to assess BT patients. Rehabilitation studies are more likely to associate the use of PerfO and PRO concerning motor and functional status. The use of specific validated scales to the BT population was rare. The lack of a standardized approach hampers the quality of BT patient's assessment.

Keywords: Brain tumor; Clinical outcome measures; Functional status; Motor deficits; Surgical resection.