Article

The aim of this study was to measure the prevalence of navigation
problems in patients with mild stroke, using a navigation questionnaire (the
Wayfinding Questionnaire; WQ). In addition, the correlations between WQ scores
and quality of life measures and neuropsychological test scores were studied.
METHODS: A sample of 62 patients with mild stroke completed a questionnaire
measuring self-reported navigation ability and spatial anxiety. A subset of this
sample (n = 31) also completed a questionnaire on quality of life. Additional
relevant neuropsychological data were retrieved from medical files and correlated
with WQ and quality of life scores. RESULTS: The results indicate that
self-reported navigation impairment occurs in a substantial proportion of
patients (29.0%), compared with a large control group (n = 384) of which 19.9%
showed impairment. Moreover, these ratings are closely linked to quality of life
and negatively correlated with spatial anxiety. The neuro-psychological data show
that there is very little correlation between scores on commonly administered
tests and navigation ability, which is in line with the results of a previous
study. CONCLUSION: As our data indicate that navigation impairment is common
among patients with mild stroke, we recommend a specific focus on navigation
ability as part of neuropsychological assessment. This focus is currently
lacking. Furthermore, the use of dedicated, experimental navigation tests in
cases of explicit problems with navigation should be considered, in order
objectively to measure such impairments.

Langue : ANGLAIS