ABSTRACT
ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of galvanic vestibular stimulation on stroke patients with lateropulsion. MethodsFrom February to October, 2023, 30 stroke patients with lateropulsion in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University were divided into control group (n = 15) and experimental group (n = 15) randomly. The control group received routine rehabilitation and sham galvanic vestibular stimulation, and the experimental group received routine rehabilitation and true galvanic vestibular stimulation, for two weeks. They were assessed with Scale for Contraversive Pushing (SCP), subjective visual vertical (SVV), Line Cancellation Test (LCT), Star Cancellation Test (SCT), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Holden Functional Ambulation Category (FAC) and Barthel Index (BI) before and after treatment. ResultsAll the indexes improved in both groups after intervention (|t| > 2.461, Z > 3.000, P < 0.05), except the SVV orientation, SVV certainty and SCT in the control group; while the SCP, SVV certainty, LCT and FAC were better in the experimental group than in the control group (|t| > 2.189, Z = -2.862, P < 0.05), and the differences before and after intervention were better in the experimental group than in the control group (|t| > 2.382, P < 0.05), except LCT. SCP was correlated with SVV orientation, SVV certainty, SCT, BBS, BI and FAC (|r| > 0.381, P < 0.05). ConclusionGalvanic vestibular stimulation can improve the lateropulsion, balance, walking function and activities of daily living in stroke patients, which may be related to improvement for spatial cognitive function, especially vertical perception.
ABSTRACT
ObjectiveTo explore the impact of subjective vertical perception impairment after stroke on visuospatial cognition, balance, walking and activities of daily living, to investigate the mediating role of visuospatial cognition and lateropulsion. MethodsFrom February to December, 2023, 96 stroke patients were selected from the Rehabilitation Medicine Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University. They were divided into vertical perception impairment group (n = 53) and non-vertical perception impairment group (n = 43). They were assessed with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), the Scale for Contraversive Pushing (SCP), Burke Lateropulsion Scale (BLS), Line Bisection Test (LBT), Line Cancellation Test (LCT), Star Cancellation Test (SCT), Subjective Visual Vertical (SVV), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Holden Functional Ambulation Categories (FAC) and Barthel Index (BI). ResultsScores of SVV orientation, SVV uncertainty, NIHSS, SCT, SCP, BLS, BBS, FAC and BI were worse in the vertical perception impairment group than in the non-vertical perception impairment group (|t| > 2.414, Z = -3.481, P < 0.05). Scores of SVV were correlated with SCT, BLS and BBS (|r| ≥ 0.273, P < 0.05). After controlling for age and gender, SVV orientation score did not directly impact BBS score (β = -0.011, P = 0.920). However, it exerted a partial mediating effect through BLS (effect = -0.173, 95%CI -0.278 to -0.076) and a chain-mediated effect through SCT and BLS (effect = -0.073, 95%CI -0.137 to -0.027), impacting BBS score. ConclusionSubjective vertical perception impairment results in poorer visuospatial cognition, balance, walking and activities of daily living in stroke patients. This influence on balance function is mediated through the mediating effects of visuospatial cognition and lateropulsion.