The effects of extracorporeal shock wave therapy on hemineglect following a stroke. A case report study

Abstract

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) is a non-invasive repetitive peripheral mechanical stimulation and might promote neuroplasticity in hemineglect syndrome. Two out of 15 patients with hemi spatial neglect following chronic stroke were completed the inclusion criterions and underwent one session of sham (placebo) and then one session of real ESWT. Both of the cases responded successfully to the ESWT by diminishing the neglect symptoms in comparison to their baseline evaluation, which maintained during one week of follow up evaluation session, but we did not observe changes in hemineglect syndrome in sham group. Our data showed that ESWT could be considered a promising tool in the treatment of neglect syndrome, however further studies are needed to confirm the effectiveness of ESWT.