A short screening test for visual neglect in stroke patients.
OBJECTIVE
to extend a preliminary study of the internal structure of six measures comprising the 'conventional' subtests of the Behavioural Inattention Test (BIT) in order to develop a short screening test for visual neglect.


METHODS
discriminant function analysis of the 15 tests constituting BIT.


METHODS
rehabilitation centre.


METHODS
59 selected from consecutive stroke patients entering the centre.


METHODS
absent prior history of major CNS disorder, at least 1 week post-stroke, right-handed for writing, absent significant visual impairment other than visual field deficit, no psychiatric overlay or generalized intellectual deterioration, and ability to comprehend and respond to the visuomotor tasks administered. COMPARISON GROUP: 50 non-brain-damaged subjects (hospital employees, members of University subject panel, and local community volunteers).


METHODS
the 15 tests constituting the BIT.


RESULTS
two subtests, letter cancellation and star cancellation, were the most sensitive measure, identifying 74% of neglect patients with no false positives.


CONCLUSIONS
letter and star cancellation offer an adequate yet brief screening test for determining which patients might benefit from administration of the complete neglect test battery.
Halligan
P
P
Rivermead Rehabilitation Centre, University Department of Clinical Neurology, Oxford, London, UK.
Wilson
B
B
Cockburn
J
J
D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D015351:Vision Screening / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000592:standards