Published Online
on February 10, 2005

A more recent version of this article appeared on March 1, 2005

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Submitted on August 30, 2004
Accepted on November 25, 2004

Subjective Visual Vertical in Pitch and Roll in Right Hemispheric Stroke

Arnaud Saj PhD; Jacques Honoré PhD; Thérèse Bernati PhD; Yann Coello PhD; and Marc Rousseaux MD, PhD^*

From the Service de Rééducation Neurologique (A.S., T.B., M.R.), Hôpital Swynghedauw, CHRU de Lille; Neurosciences Fonctionnelles et Pathologies (J.H.); FRE2726 CNRS, Université de Lille 2, CHRU de Lille; and URECA (Y.C.), Université de Lille 3, France.

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: mrousseaux{at}chru-lille.fr.

Background and Purpose--Patients with right hemispheric stroke usually present an anticlockwise deviation of the subjective visual vertical (SVV) in the frontal (roll) plane. However, the occurrence of a similar disorder in the sagittal (pitch) plane has never been assessed. We investigated the subjective visual vertical in both planes in those patients.

Methods--Eight patients, 4 with spatial neglect (N+) and 4 without neglect (N-), were compared with 4 healthy participants (C). They sat facing a luminous bar adjustable in rotation, either in the roll or in the pitch plane, and had to orient it in a vertical position, in the dark.

Results--Compared with N- (-0.1°) and C (+1.1°) groups, N+ patients presented with a significant backward deviation (-4.5°) of the SVV in pitch. In accordance with other studies, they also showed a significant anticlockwise deviation (-8.8°) of the SVV in roll, as compared with N- (-1.9°) and C (+0.4°) subjects. This was associated with an opposite trunk deviation in both planes.

Conclusions--While confirming the anticlockwise deviation already reported in the frontal plane, we showed for the first time to our knowledge a backward deviation of the SVV in neglect patients, which has to be put in relation with their balance disorders.

Key words: hemispatial neglect • posture • stroke • visual vertical

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