Patients with visual field deficits may show neglect like performance on cancellation tasks in the acute phase following stroke. The effect is thought to subside in the months following a stroke, but few studies have addressed this issue in chronic stroke patients.
In a sample of chronic patients with strokes affecting the Posterior Cerebral Artery (PCA), we investigated whether there is a difference in how patients with and without visual field deficits perform on a cancellation task. Patients with PCA strokes are not expected to be impaired in cancellations tasks in the chronic phase, as their lesions do not affect areas typically associated with neglect. Thus, neglect like performance patterns in this group may reflect visual field deficits and hemianopic completion, rather than neglect proper.

Data from 60 patients from the Back of the Brain-project were included. Visual fields were assessed with a computerized visual field test, testing the central 10 degrees of the visual field. The results were classified into right, left or bilateral field deficits, and macular splitting or sparing. The severity of the visual field deficit was classified using % correct detected points. The Broken Hearts Tests, a cancellation task from the Oxford Cognitive Screen, was used to test for neglect and scored according to the test manual. We tested whether there was a significant difference between the patients with and without visual field deficits with regards to completion time, and type and number of errors. We also determined the proportion of patients performing below cut-off for ego- and allocentric neglect.