This Article Full Text (OnlineFirst PDF) All Versions of this Article: 1545968308328731v1 23/6/609    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by van Nes, I. J. W. Articles by Geurts, A. C. H. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by van Nes, I. J. W. Articles by Geurts, A. C. H. Pubmed/NCBI databases Medline Plus Health Information Stroke Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Is Visuospatial Hemineglect Really a Determinant of Postural Control Following Stroke? An Acute-Phase Study

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: i.vannes{at}maartenskliniek.nl.

	Abstract

Objective. The purpose of this study was to determine the independent contribution of visuospatial hemineglect to impaired postural control in the acute phase (<2 weeks) of stroke compared with other possible clinical and biological determinants. Methods. This study was conducted in 4 hospitals in the mid-east region of the Netherlands. A total of 78 consecutive patients with a first-ever acute supratentorial stroke was included. Functional balance was measured with the Trunk Impairment Scale, the Trunk Control Test, the Berg Balance Scale, and the Functional Ambulation Categories. Visuospatial hemineglect was assessed by means of an asymmetry index obtained from the Behavioral Inattention Test. The Motricity Index, vibration threshold, sustained attention, and the presence of hemianopia were registered as other possible clinical determinants. Stepwise backward multiple linear regression analysis was performed introducing all selected clinical determinants as well as age and poststroke time as possible biological determinants. Results. Hemineglect was present in 17 patients (21.8%). The groups with and without hemineglect were different for gender and the proportion of right hemisphere strokes, but not for age, type of stroke, or poststroke time. Neglect patients had on average lower scores on all functional balance tests as well as on the clinical assessments. Multivariate linear regression showed that, besides hemineglect, only muscle strength and age independently contributed to impaired balance explaining 65% to 72% of variance of the selected outcomes. Conclusion. This study showed that hemineglect independently contributes to impaired postural control in the acute phase of stroke.

First published on December 31, 2008, doi:10.1177/1545968308328731

Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair 2009;23:609.

A more recent version of this article appeared on July 1, 2009


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				I. J. W. van Nes, M. E. van Kessel, F. Schils, L. Fasotti, A. C. H. Geurts, and G. Kwakkel Is Visuospatial Hemineglect Longitudinally Associated with Postural Imbalance in the Postacute Phase of Stroke? Neurorehabil Neural Repair, October 1, 2009; 23(8): 819 - 824. [Abstract] [PDF]