[Comparison of early and late rehabilitation of stroke and cerebral trauma patients with visual field defects].
BACKGROUND
Most rehabilitation studies on visual field deficits after stroke or trauma are conducted after completion of the spontaneous recovery phase. However, the question arises whether more extensive visual field improvements can be reached when the training starts very soon after the lesion.


METHODS
In this study, the results of 26 patients who began visual restoration therapy within the first 12 months after the lesion were compared with an age-related group whose lesions were more than 1 year old.


RESULTS
The early-onset group showed an improvement of 8% in computer campimetry and 10-15% in conventional automated perimetry. The late-onset group had 13.5% improvement in campimetry and 20% in perimetry.


CONCLUSIONS
In contrast to our assumptions, there was no significant difference between the groups. Furthermore, the late-onset group showed considerably greater improvement than the early-onset group. It is proposed that pronounced attention deficits soon after brain damage may complicate the training.
Müller
I
I
Institut für Medizinische Psychologie, Medizinsche Fakultät der Otto-von-Guericke-Universität, Magdeburg.
Sabel
B
B
Kasten
E
E
D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D006423:Hemianopsia / Q000209:etiology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014794:Visual Fields