[Neuropsychological assessment in a patient with left hemineglect syndrome--a case report]

We performed a sequential neuropsychological tests before and after neurosurgical intervention on a 69-year-old patient with left hemineglect syndrome caused by metastatic right temporal papillary carcinoma. The tests performed before operation and computer tomography revealed marked impairment in visuospatial reasoning, spatial orientation, visual perception, visuoconstructional praxis, effort emory, as well as block design in Wechsler Adult Intellectual Scale-Revised, all of which suggested right temporo-parietal lesion. Left spatial neglect was obviously demonstrated by the Line Cancellation Test, Watch Test, and clinical observation. After surgical debulking of the tumor, his performances on most of the tests were improved. Our study demonstrated that the conventional neuropsychological test is not only useful for localizing the cerebral lesion but also valid for the assessment of functional recovery after treatment, a role that can never be replaced by any other modern technique.