Perceptual impairment after stroke: improvements during the first 3 months.

The aim of the study was to assess changes in perceptual abilities during the first 3 months after stroke using a prospective observational design. The sample was from a hospital with a catchment population of 205,000. Seventy persons aged 60+ admitted with non-lacunar stroke were given the Rivermead Perceptual Assessment Battery, 2 weeks after stroke. Three months post-stroke subjects were reassessed on subtests they had initially failed. The improvements in performance on all 16 subtests of the RPAB were significant, and large in relationship to the maximal possible improvement had all subjects achieved perfect scores on follow-up. Performance on line bisection and line cancellation also improved significantly. In spite of these improvements 64% of subjects still had perceptual impairment as defined by an RPAB score of 0-12 at 3 months post-stroke. It is concluded that perceptual abilities improved greatly during the first 3 months after non-lacunar stroke but nevertheless perceptual impairments remain common at 3-month follow-up.