Patterns of visual spatial inattention and their functional significance in stroke patients

The relationship between patterns of visual spatial inattention and activities of daily living (ADL) performance was investigated in 64 Chinese patients with right brain lesions, using the Klein-Bell ADL Scale and the Random Chinese Word Cancellation Test. The result showed that patients demonstrating hemi-inattention were significantly worse in ADL performance than patients with nonlateralized inattention or patients with normal attention, but that the latter two groups did not differ from each other. Although ADL performance was also found to be significantly related to somatosensation, motor status, and visual factors, after controlling the effects of these variables by partial correlation, hemi-inattention still was highly related to ADL performance. Independence in dressing, mobility, and elimination appeared to be more adversely affected by hemi-inattention than were bathing/hygiene, eating, and telephone use.