[Topographic disorientation associated with infarction in the territory of the right posterior cerebral artery].
BACKGROUND
Topographic disorientation is defined as the difficulty to find one s way in familiar surroundings. It can be due to an amnesic or agnostic like defect, which is known as topographic amnesia or agnosia. This disorder can give rise to disability in the life of the patient and may well go undetected unless a suitable neuropsychological study is conducted.


METHODS
We report the cases of two patients with infarction in the territory of the right posterior cerebral artery who began with hemianopsia and topographic disorientation. One of the cases was due to a disorder affecting spatial memory and the other was caused by errors in visuospatial perception. The battery of tests for studying visuospatial perception VOSP was administered.


CONCLUSIONS
Occipital lesions are often associated with topographic disorientation, especially when it is the right hemisphere that is injured. It is important to detect this alteration, which makes the patient totally dependent on others even in his or her own home. The appearance of an amnesic or agnostic type disorientation can be related with a disorder affecting one of the two systems that play a part in the processing of visual data. A guided neuropsychological study can provide us with a great deal of information about the type of disorder presented by the patient.
Martínez-Fernández
E
E
Servicio de Neurología, Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocio, Sevilla, España. med010426@nacom.es
Gil-Néciga
E
E
Boza-García
F
F
Montes
E
E
Donaire
A
A
D000368:Aged; D003221:Confusion / Q000209:etiology*; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006423:Hemianopsia / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D020762:Infarction, Posterior Cerebral Artery / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009778:Occipital Lobe / Q000473:pathology; D013028:Space Perception; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000473:pathology