Spatial disorientation in right-hemisphere infarction: a study of the speed of recovery

Sixteen patients with an infarct in the posterior region of the right hemisphere were tested at fixed intervals after a stroke (2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year) with the rod orientation test and the line orientation test. All patients initially showed spatial disorientation on the rod orientation test, while only three had a defective performance on the line orientation test. The recovery on the rod orientation test was parallel with the neurological improvement. Recovery mainly took place in the first six months after the stroke. Most patients then performed at a normal level. A relation between the size of the lesion (assessed from CT scans) and the speed of recovery was found.