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. 2016 Mar 21;2016(3):CD009645. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD009645.pub3

Qu 2009.

Methods Study design: RCT
Dropouts: none
Adverse effects: not reported
Deaths: none
ITT: yes
Duration: 1 month
Participants Country: China
Number of participants: 50
Age: tDCS (mean ± SD): 45 (11), control: 45 (14) years
Gender: tDCS: 21 (84%) male, control: 22 (88%) male
Type of stroke: 15 (60%) ischaemic
Time poststroke: tDCS: 6 months (3 to 36), control: 4 months (3 to 12)
Severity: tDCS: FMA 12 (5 to 44), BI 64 (17), control: FMA 5 (2 to 35), BI: 72 ± 22
Inclusion criteria: admitted to hospital between June 2008 and June 2009 and MRI‐confirmed stroke
Exclusion criteria: not stated
Interventions 2 arms

  1. C‐tDCS over lesioned M1 (0.5 mA for 20 minutes) once a day for 5 consecutive days, for 1 month + physical therapy (40 minutes/session, twice a day, for 5 times a week)

  2. Physical therapy (40 minutes/session, twice a day, for 5 times a week)
Outcomes Outcomes used: MAS, FMA, BI
Time points of measurement: at baseline and at the end of the intervention period
Notes  
Risk of bias
Bias Authors' judgement Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias) Unclear risk Quote: "Subjects were randomly assigned using a computer‐generated randomisation list by a single investigator" (Wu 2013b [pers comm])
Allocation concealment (selection bias) Unclear risk Quote: "The assigned random number was inputted into the stimulator device by the same investigator. She did not participate in other parts of the study" (Wu 2013b [pers comm])
Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) 
 Subjective outcome measures Unclear risk Quote: "All other investigators, subjects, and outcome assessors remained blinded to group allocation until the completion of the final statistical analyses" (Wu 2013b [pers comm])
Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) 
 Objective outcome measures Low risk Quote: "All other investigators, subjects, and outcome assessors remained blinded to group allocation until the completion of the final statistical analyses" (Wu 2013b [pers comm])
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) 
 Subjective outcome measures Unclear risk See "Blinding of participants and personnel"
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) 
 Objective outcome measures Low risk See "Blinding of participants and personnel"
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) 
 Subjective outcome measures Low risk All participants apparently completed the study. No treatment withdrawals, no losses to follow‐up, no trial group changes and no major adverse events were stated
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) 
 Objective outcome measures Low risk All participants apparently completed the study. No treatment withdrawals, no losses to follow‐up, no trial group changes and no major adverse events were stated
Selective reporting (reporting bias) Unclear risk All outcomes from the methods section were reported