A case study of hemispatial neglect using finite element analysis and positron emission tomography.

Abstract:

BACKGROUND: The authors present a patient who developed transient hemispatial neglect following surgical drainage of a large right frontotemporal arachnoid cyst. As symptoms evolved in parallel with brain shift over the subsequent months, the authors hypothesized that the disorder was associated with the appearance of mechanical stresses in the cerebral mantle. METHODS: To map tissue stress at the various stages of deformation, a finite element computer simulation was conducted on the basis of computed tomography scans of the patient. RESULTS: The authors' results demonstrate substantial shear and compressive stress concentrations in the parietal lobe, a region commonly associated with neglect, and where positron emission tomography confirmed hypoperfusion in this patient. Treatment with combined ventricular-peritoneal and cystoperitoneal shunts was accompanied by clinical recovery and improvement of right parietal lobe cerebral blood flow. CONCLUSIONS: The authors conclude that brain deformation was a contributing factor in the reversible neglect syndrome by compromising the normal flow of blood and/or the deactivation of subcortical circuits of the parietal lobe.