Objective: To investigate the impact of unilateral spatial neglect with or without other cognitive impairments on recovery of independent gait in stroke survivors.
Design: A prospective cohort study.
Subjects: Ninety-four stroke survivors in an inpatient rehabilitation ward.
Methods: The presence of unilateral spatial neglect was assessed by the visuospatial perception score of the Stroke Impairment Assessment Set, and other cognitive impairments were assessed by Mini-Mental State Examination. Participants were categorized into 3 groups: group 1, unilateral spatial neglect with other cognitive impairments; group 2, unilateral spatial neglect without other cognitive impairments; and group 3, non-unilateral spatial neglect. The outcome was the walking score of the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) at discharge (score ≥ 6 or ≤ 5).
Results: Multivariate logistic regression analysis (reference, group 3) showed that the presence of unilateral spatial neglect with other cognitive impairments (group 1) had a significant association with dependence of gait (p = 0.003), and the odds ratio (95% confidence interval) was 5.55 (1.19-23.04). In contrast, there was no significant relationship between the presence of unilateral spatial neglect without other cognitive impairments (group 2) and dependence of gait (p = 0.207).
Conclusion: The presence of unilateral spatial neglect without other cognitive impairments is not a significant factor for regaining independent gait. In contrast, unilateral spatial neglect becomes a strong negative factor when combined with other cognitive impairments.
Keywords: stroke; hemispatial neglect; cognitive impairment; gait.