Article

Patients suffering from unilateral neglect syndrome (UNS) are not
able to respond to stimuli administered to the side of the body opposite to the
lesion. UNS is most commonly seen after right-hemisphere lesions. Patients with
UNS experience more problems with activities of daily living and recovery after
stroke is delayed. OBJECTIVE: To investigate which treatment modalities can
alleviate the symptoms of UNS after stroke and to determine their effectiveness.
METHODS: Databases PubMed, Web of knowledge and PEDro have been searched. Quality
assessment was conducted using the 9-item Delphi list. Data extraction was
performed by the first author. Effect sizes have been calculated using Cohen's d.
RESULTS: 15 RCT's have been included. Most studies used add-on therapies. Almost
all studies found improvements in both groups, but only 7 trials showed
statistically significant between group differences in favor of the experimental
group. Large effect sizes were found in only four studies. CONCLUSIONS: All the
interventions discussed in this review can reduce the symptoms of UNS. However, TENS, optokinetic stimulation, somatosensory electrostimulation, mirror therapy
and virtual reality training seem to be the most effective treatment methods (d >
0,80). Future research should focus on producing studies of higher methodological
quality with larger sample sizes.

Langue : ANGLAIS