KAATSU training® in a case of patients with periventricular leukomalacia(PVL)

[Objective]The effectiveness of KAATSU training has been reported in wide-ranging fields from sports medicine to rehabilitation, and KAATSU training has been clinically applied. However, there have been only limited reports on pediatric cases. We performed KAATSU training in a pediatric patient with periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) and examined its effectiveness and safety for cerebral palsy. We report here the results of this examination.[Methods]KAATSU training was performed on a PVL patient on an outpatient basis. This training was performed once a week for 14 weeks and involved mainly three specified motions of the upper and lower limbs. Evaluation was performed using the Gross Motor Function Measure (Gross Motor Function Classification System: GMFM) and videos. In this report, the effectiveness of short-term KAATSU training was compared with that of intensive physical therapy using data in the literature.[Results]QOL improved due to short-term reduction of muscle tonus and increased acquired movements resulting from KAATSU training.[Conclusion]The results of this report suggest that KAATSU training can be effective in PVL patients. Further examination is necessary with increased cases and evaluation methods.