Visuospatial processing skills following unilateral arterial ischemic stroke in childhood.

Abstract

Due to the rare occurrence of childhood stroke, its impact on later cognitive functioning remains unclear. While it is often assumed that children recover better than adults, recent studies suggest that childhood stroke can negatively affect a wide range of cognitive domains, such as attention, language, and processing speed, among others. We examined the effect of unilateral stroke on children's visuoconstructive ability and visual memory. Seventeen children with left- or right-sided arterial ischemic stroke were tested using subtests of the Hamburg-Wechsler Intelligenztest für Kinder and the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure(ROCF). The ROCF was evaluated both quantitatively and qualitatively with the help of two separate scoring methods. We found that lesion laterality and age at stroke impacted childhood stroke patients' ability to recall certain elements of the figure. Regarding lesion laterality, left-sided stroke patients had more difficulties recalling internal details than right-sided stroke patients. In terms of age, patients with stroke onset before the age of 5 years remembered fewer structural elements than patients with stroke onset after the age of 5 years did. Moreover, the qualitative scoring method better differentiated between individuals and between groups than the more commonly used quantitative method. The results of this study not only highlight the importance of a qualitative assessment of the ROCF but could also aid clinicians in testing stroke patients more accurately and tailoring subsequent therapy to the patient's individual needs.