Hemispatial neglect following right hemisphere stroke: clinical course and sensitivity of diagnostic tasks

AbstractBackgroundStroke patients with severe symptoms of hemispatial neglect (HN) are known to experience a weaker recovery than those less affected from the outset. Correct identification of HN is therefore important throughout the course of rehabilitation.ObjectivesTo explore: (i) the course of clinical symptoms in stroke patients with moderate/severe HN from acute setting to home, (ii) changes in sensitivity of diagnostic tasks over time, and (iii) agreement between the researcher’s and patients’ HN assessments.MethodsOut of 79 consecutive patients, we included 23 patients with moderate/severe HN following right hemisphere stroke. The Catherine Bergego Scale was used as a benchmark for HN and to measure the congruence between the researcher’s and patients’ HN assessments. Diagnostic tasks included star cancellation, line crossing, line bisection, m-fluff test, figure copying, and clock drawing. Data were collected at t1: sub-acute stroke (days: M ± SD = 10.3 ± 5.25), t2: during rehabilitation (days: M...