Absence of hemispatial neglect following right hemispherectomy in a 7-year-old girl with neonatal stroke

ABSTRACT

Neonatal stroke leads to cognitive deficits that may include hemispatial neglect. Hemispatial neglect is a syndrome after stroke that patients fail to be aware of stimuli on the side of space and body opposite a brain lesion. We report here a 7-year-old girl who suffered neonatal right brain stroke and underwent right hemispherectomy due to refractory epilepsy. Post-surgical observation of the child’s behavior and tests did not show any signs of hemispatial neglect. We concluded the spatial attention function of the child with neonatal stroke might be transferred to the contralateral side during early childhood.