LAUSR

This journal recently published the largest study of rehabilitation outcomes for people affected by post-stroke lateropulsion [1]. The researchers used a global clinical tool to assess lateropulsion severity and showed that most subjects made clinically meaningful recovery, albeit requiring a longer length of stay. Whilst clinical tools are important, they can be limiting. For example, Nolan and colleagues [1] found only a minority of participants affected by severe lateropulsion were able to return to independent living at home. This raises the question, why do some participants with severe lateropulsion have a good recovery and return home, whilst others require costly home care or supported living? In this letter, we explain how assessing visual function, proprioception and exact lesion location, may improve outcome predictions for this population.