Pre- and post-operative assessment of visuo-spatial functions in right hemisphere tumour patients: a pilot study

J Neurooncol. 2012 Jun;108(2):261-7. doi: 10.1007/s11060-012-0820-9. Epub 2012 Feb 14.

Abstract

Patients with neglect fail to report, respond to, or orient to stimuli presented on the opposite side of the brain lesion. Spatial neglect is a multi-componential syndrome and many of its symptoms and signs need specific testing to detect their different clinical manifestations. Given that neglect has a dramatic effect on the outcome of these patients, it is of paramount importance for accurate assessment all its manifestations. Thus, the purpose of this study is to assess visuo-spatial functions with a newly-built neuropsychological battery to determine the incidence of visuo-spatial disorders and spatial neglect in patients with right brain tumour. We tested 14 patients undergoing tumour resection, both pre-operatively and post-operatively. Pre-operatively, we found an incidence of 42.86% for visuo-spatial deficits and of 14.29% specifically for spatial neglect. This incidence increases post-operatively to 57.14% for visuo-spatial deficits and to 42.86% specifically for spatial neglect. The present study has important implications for a better knowledge of the spatial disorders in patients with right-brain tumour, thus providing a clearer picture on the everyday life problems faced by these patients, both within the family and in working contexts.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Brain Neoplasms / complications*
  • Brain Neoplasms / psychology
  • Brain Neoplasms / surgery
  • Female
  • Functional Laterality / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Perceptual Disorders / diagnosis
  • Perceptual Disorders / etiology*
  • Perceptual Disorders / psychology
  • Pilot Projects
  • Postoperative Complications*
  • Postoperative Period
  • Preoperative Period
  • Space Perception / physiology*