Unilateral spatial neglect in patients with cerebral hemorrhage

To clarify the correlations between unilateral spatial neglect (USN) and performance on activities of daily living (ADL) at discharge, we examined thirty-two right-handed patients with right hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage. USN was revealed in 26, of which 13 were putaminal hemorrhage and the other 13 were thalamic hemorrhage. The patients were subdivided into three groups: those without USN, those with transient USN, and those with persistent USN. Among the patients with putaminal hemorrhage, the presence and persistence of USN seemed to be largely dependent on the size of the hematoma. Of the 7 with hematoma. volume greater than 40 ml, 4 revealed persistent USN; the other 3, each of whom was under 50 years of age, showed transient USN. Among the thalamic hemorrhage, the size of the hematoma had no relation to the presence of USN. All cases of USN caused by thalamic hemorrhage were transient. Among all the patients, those with USN showed lower ADL scores on admission than patients without USN. At discharge, ADL among patients with transient USN had improved more than the ADL of patients without USN. We suspected that improvement in ADL might be affected by USN.