Article ID: 200531
Right-sided unilateral spatial neglect (USN) of patients with left hemisphere stroke disappears within a few months from the onset. Also, it has been reported that right-sided USN of bilateral hemisphere lesions patients persists even after 6 months from the onset. Herein, we present the case of a left middle cerebral artery stroke patient with persistent right-sided USN. The patient was right-handed female in her eighties. She was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome 12 years before and then had severe anemia. She suffered from stroke and was hospitalized. She complained of severe right-sided hemiparesis, sensory disturbance, USN, and aphasia. During hospitalization, the laboratory tests revealed a hemoglobin level of 6.0 – 10.2 g/dL and hematocrit level of 18.3–31.8 %. She underwent rehabilitation for fatigue from the anemia. However, her right-sided hemiparesis and USN persisted, and on day 174 post onset she needed support for activities of daily living. Studies have reported that the persistence of the right-sided USN with left hemisphere lesions have a strong relationship with hypoperfusion in the left hemisphere and right parietal regions, even if the right hemisphere has no lesion at all. The decrease in the bilateral hemisphere function is known to hinder the improvement of right-sided USN. Severe anemia (hematocrit level 21.0 %) has also been reported to decrease the oxygen metabolism of whole brain cortex. From these studies severe anemia was thought to hinder the improvement of right-sided USN.
