Effects of robot exoskeletal-assisted gait training on gait ability in a pediatric patient with peripheral polyneuropathy: a case report.

It reports one patient and compares before and after only, so there is no comparison group. The child also received intravenous immunoglobulin, physical therapy and occupational therapy before robot training, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated. He had already improved enough to walk with supervision after 20 days of conventional therapy before robot training. The authors state that improvement could be due to natural resolution of the disease or the robot, and that a larger study is needed. Follow-up was only before and after the ten sessions, with no longer-term outcome reported. The diagnosis was not confirmed as Guillain-Barré; it was treated as possible Guillain-Barré or another peripheral polyneuropathy. The robot weighed 14.2 kg and caused discomfort, and a therapist was needed for safety.

The paper was supported by the Fund of Biomedical Research Institute, Jeonbuk National University Hospital. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Do not conclude that robot exoskeleton-assisted gait training caused the improvements. The child also received intravenous immunoglobulin, physical therapy and occupational therapy before robot training, and this report describes one patient without a comparison group.