[Balint syndrome and associated disorders. Anamnesis--diagnosis--approaches to treatment]

Balint syndrome is a combination of symptoms including simultanagnosia, a disorder of spatial and object-based attention, disturbed spatial perception and representation, and optic ataxia resulting from bilateral parieto-occipital lesions. Fixation and ocular exploration of space are severely impaired, as are reading, writing, drawing and orientation as well as movement in space. Low-level visual impairments may be associated and difficult to evaluate but are not a necessary element of Balint syndrome. This review summarizes the relevant facts of the etiology, localization of lesions, and the core features as well as frequently associated disorders of the syndrome. Instructions for the examination of patients are given and approaches for the management and treatment outlined. Models of attention and space representation are described for the explanation of this multifaceted and exciting syndrome. Finally the key features of the syndrome are summarized in a table at the end of the paper.