OBJECTIVE To investigate the impact of unilateral spatial neglect with or without other cognitive impairments on recovery of independent gait in stroke survivors. DESIGN A prospective cohort study. SUBJECTS Ninety-four… Click to show full abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the impact of unilateral spatial neglect with or without other cognitive impairments on recovery of independent gait in stroke survivors. DESIGN A prospective cohort study. SUBJECTS Ninety-four stroke survivors in an inpatient rehabilitation ward. METHODS The presence of unilateral spatial neglect was assessed by the visuospatial perception score of the Stroke Impairment Assessment Set, and other cognitive impairments were assessed by Mini-Mental State Examination. Participants were categorized into 3 groups: group 1, unilateral spatial neglect with other cognitive impairments; group 2, unilateral spatial neglect without other cognitive impairments; and group 3, non-unilateral spatial neglect. The outcome was the walking score of the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) at discharge (score ≥ 6 or ≤ 5). RESULTS Multivariate logistic regression analysis (reference, group 3) showed that the presence of unilateral spatial neglect with other cognitive impairments (group 1) had a significant association with dependence of gait (p = 0.003), and the odds ratio (95% confidence interval) was 5.55 (1.19-23.04). In contrast, there was no significant relationship between the presence of unilateral spatial neglect without other cognitive impairments (group 2) and dependence of gait (p = 0.207). CONCLUSION The presence of unilateral spatial neglect without other cognitive impairments is not a significant factor for regaining independent gait. In contrast, unilateral spatial neglect becomes a strong negative factor when combined with other cognitive impairments.
               
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