Selective surgery for intermittent exotropia based on distance/near differences. The effect of voluntary trunk rotation and half-field eye-patching for patients with unilateral neglect in stroke: a randomized controlled trial. Impact of stereotactic hematoma evacuation on activities of daily living during the chronic period following spontaneous putaminal hemorrhage: a randomized study. Unilateral neglect syndrome rehabilitation by trunk rotation and scanning training. Viewing less to see better. A comparison of bilateral and unilateral upper-limb task training in early poststroke rehabilitation: a randomized controlled trial. Comparison of bilateral and unilateral training for upper extremity hemiparesis in stroke. Prism adaptation therapy enhances rehabilitation of stroke patients with unilateral spatial neglect: a randomized, controlled trial. A randomized controlled trial comparing everting sutures with everting sutures and a lateral tarsal strip for involutional entropion.
Classic teaching suggests that surgery for intermittent exotropia should be based on distance/near differences. Divergence excess, according to tradition, should be treated with symmetric lateral rectus recessions; simulated divergence excess and basic deviations should be treated with a recess/resect procedure. This teaching, to our knowledge, has not been systematically tested.
                To evaluate the appropriateness of selective surgery based on distance/near differences and to determine if bilateral lateral rectus recessions affect the distance deviation more than the near deviation.
                Patients with basic type intermittent exotropia were randomized to 2 groups, those receiving either unilateral recess/resect procedures or symmetric lateral rectus recessions. Patients with simulated divergence excess intermittent exotropia received symmetric lateral rectus recessions. Outcome was observed 1 year after surgery.
                Of 19 patients with basic exotropia receiving lateral rectus recessions, 10 patients (52%) had a satisfactory outcome compared with 14 (82%) of the 17 patients who had recess/resect procedures (P<.05). Of the 68 patients with simulated divergence excess, 55 patients (80%) had a satisfactory outcome after bilateral/lateral rectus recessions. This result was significantly better than the outcome for patients with basic exotropia who underwent lateral rectus recessions (P<.05) [corrected]. The decrease in the distance/near difference after surgery was essentially identical for patients with basic exotropia who underwent lateral rectus recessions as for those who received recess/resect procedures (means, 2.4 prism diopters vs 2.1 prism diopters, respectively).
                Although this study did not evaluate increasing the amount of symmetric lateral rectus recessions for patients with basic exotropia, these data suggest that patients with basic type intermittent exotropia should be treated with recess/resect procedures. Data also suggest that patients with simulated divergence excess do well with lateral rectus recessions. Recess/resect procedures and symmetric surgery affect distance/near differences equally in patients with basic exotropia. To investigate the effectiveness of voluntary trunk rotation and half-field eye-patching to treat patients with unilateral neglect in stroke.
                Pre-post, day 60 follow-up, single-blinded randomized controlled trial.
                Single-centre inpatient rehabilitation hospital.
                Sixty subacute patients with right hemisphere stroke having unilateral neglect within eight weeks post stroke consented to participate between November 2003 and July 2005. They were randomly assigned to three comparison groups.
                Nineteen patients received daily experimental training in voluntary trunk rotation (TR) for 1 hour five times a week for 30 days. Twenty patients received the same kind of treatment together with half-field eye-patching (TR + EP). Fifteen patients in the control group received conventional training with the same contact time.
                Patients were assessed on days 0, 30 and 60 using the Behavioural Inattention Test, the Clock Drawing Test, and the Functional Independence Measure.
                No significant differences between voluntary trunk rotation (TR), voluntary trunk rotation and half-field eye-patching (TR + EP) and controls were found in functional performance and neglect measures at day 30 (P = 0.042-0.994) and follow-up (P = 0.052-0.911) at P = 0.005 using Bonferroni correction.
                The results of this study do not support the use of voluntary trunk rotation alone or with half-field eye-patching to improve functional performance or reduce unilateral neglect in subacute patients with stroke. Stereotactic evacuation of hematoma has been reported to reduce the incidence of mortality and to improve functional outcome in patients with spontaneous putaminal hemorrhage. Stereotactic evacuation of hematoma has not been widely accepted as a standard therapy, however, because its effect on functional outcome has been regarded as marginal and there have been no randomized trials with sufficient statistical power to quantify the benefits of this procedure. The authors reassessed the value of stereotactic evacuation of hematoma by analyzing its impact on activities of living during the chronic period following spontaneous putaminal hemorrhage in a randomized study.
                Four hundred ninety patients were entered into the study. The severity of their hemorrhages was graded neurologically on admission (neurological grades: 1, eyes are open; 2, eyes are closed but open to weak stimuli; 3, eyes are closed but open to strong stimuli; 4, eyes do not open but extremities move to stimuli; and 5, eyes do not open and extremities do not move to stimuli). Patients with Grade 2 and those with Grade 3 were randomized into two groups with different treatment protocols (Group I, stereotactic evacuation of the hematoma; and Group II, conservative treatment). Patients assigned neurological Grade 4 or 5 were excluded from the study because a large-scale retrospective study in Japan revealed that surgical treatment in patients assigned to these neurological grades does not improve functional outcome. Among the 490 patients, 242 were randomized strictly. This patient population comprised 148 men and 94 women ranging in age from 38 to 80 years (mean 60.5 years). Compared with Group II, Group I treatment resulted in a lower mortality rate and better recovery to functional independence in patients with neurological Grade 3. In patients with Grade 2, Group I treatment contributed to a better recovery of functional outcome and a lower mortality rate, but the difference was not significant. Multivariate analysis confirmed that stereotactic evacuation of the hematoma was contributory to a better recovery in functional outcome.
                Stereotactic evacuation of hematoma is clearly of value in selected patients with spontaneous putuminal hemorrhage, whose eyes are closed but will open in response to strong stimuli (neurological Grade 3) on admission. Assessment of a new rehabilitation method for unilateral neglect syndrome (UNS), using a specific device (Bon Saint Come's device) that associates exploratory reconditioning with voluntary trunk rotation.
                Study 1, randomized control trial during 2 months; study 2, nonrandomized control trial during 2 months.
                Neurorehabilitation units in private and public center.
                In study 1, 22 consecutive patients with UNS resulting from recent stroke (< 3 months) were randomly assigned to an Experimental Group (11 patients) or to a Control Group (11 patients). The 2 groups were very similar in terms of general and neurological data. In study 2, 5 consecutive patients with chronic UNS resulting from an old stroke (> 6 months) showing the same characteristics were included.
                In study 1, patients in Group E followed the experimental program 1 hour a day for 1 month (20 hours) and Group C followed usual neurorehabilitation during the same time. In study 2, every patient followed the experimental program 1 hour a day for 1 month (20 hours).
                Assessment in both studies was done at day 0, day 30, and day 60 using a battery of UNS tests (Albert, Scheckenberg, bell) and an activities of daily living (ADL) test (the Functional Independence Measure [FIM]). Mean scores of each test were compared between the 2 groups with the Wilcoxon nonparametric test.
                In study 1 all UNS test results and the FIM improved significantly more in Group E than in Group C. In Group E, UNS disappeared in 5 patients and improved in 6. In Group C, UNS disappeared in 1 patient, improved in 4, and was unchanged in 6. In Study 2, UNS remitted in 2 patients, improved in 2 patients, and was unchanged in 1.
                The Bon Saint Come method seems to significantly improve recent and chronic UNS, as well as ADL function. These encouraging results could have resulted from a synergistic effect of spatial reconditioning and voluntary trunk rotation. It must be assessed by a new study with more patients. To assess the efficacy, as well as the long term duration, of a new procedure for the rehabilitation of visuospatial neglect in patients with right hemisphere stroke.
                Patients with right unilateral hemispheric damage identified with neglect were assigned to a treatment (T+) or a control (T-) group. The treatment consisted in abolishing all visual inputs from the right hemispace for one week by means of specially devised hemiblinding goggles. Patients' visuospatial abilities were tested and compared between groups immediately after the week of treatment. Both groups were further assessed one week after treatment suspension for evaluation of long term beneficial effects.
                Following the treatment, a substantial amelioration of visuospatial neglect symptoms was selectively observed in the T+ group. In contrast, untreated patients showed only weak signs of recovery. Most important, the amelioration obtained in the T+ group of patients was not ephemeral, being significantly maintained after a further period of one week, even after suspension of the treatment.
                The protracted efficacy of the proposed "hemiblinding technique" may have important implications for the recovery of visuospatial neglect and may be a very promising tool for investigating both the cognitive and the neural basis of neglect rehabilitation. To compare the effects of bilateral task training with unilateral task training on upper-limb outcomes in early poststroke rehabilitation.
                A single-blinded randomized controlled trial, with outcome assessments at baseline, postintervention (6 wk), and follow-up (18 wk).
                Inpatient acute and rehabilitation hospitals.
                Patients were randomized to receive bilateral training (n=56) or unilateral training (n=50) at 2 to 4 weeks poststroke onset.
                Supervised bilateral or unilateral training for 20 minutes on weekdays over 6 weeks using a standardized program.
                Upper-limb outcomes were assessed by Action Research Arm Test (ARAT), Rivermead Motor Assessment upper-limb scale, and Nine-Hole Peg Test (9HPT). Secondary measures included the Modified Barthel Index, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Nottingham Health Profile. All assessment was conducted by a blinded assessor.
                No significant differences were found in short-term improvement (0-6 wk) on any measure (P>.05). For overall improvement (0-18 wk), the only significant between-group difference was a change in the 9HPT (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.0-0.1; P=.05) and ARAT pinch section (95% CI, 0.3-5.6; P=.03), which was lower for the bilateral training group. Baseline severity significantly influenced improvement in all upper-limb outcomes (P<.05), but this was irrespective of the treatment group.
                Bilateral training was no more effective than unilateral training, and in terms of overall improvement in dexterity, the bilateral training group improved significantly less. Intervention timing, task characteristics, dose, and intensity of training may have influenced the results and are therefore areas for future investigation. Upper extremity hemiparesis is the most common poststroke disability. Longitudinal studies have indicated that 30% to 66% of stroke survivors do not have full arm function 6 months poststroke. One promising treatment approach is bilateral training. To date, no randomized, blinded study of efficacy comparing 2 groups (bilateral training vs unilateral training) using analogous tasks has been performed in chronic stroke survivors with moderate upper extremity impairment.
                To compare the effectiveness of bilateral training with unilateral training for individuals with moderate upper limb hemiparesis. The authors hypothesized that bilateral training would be superior to unilateral training in the proximal extremity but not the distal one.
                Twenty-four subjects participated in a randomized, single-blind training study. Subjects in the bilateral group (n = 12) practiced bilateral symmetrical activities, whereas the unilateral group (n = 12) performed the same activity with the affected arm only. The activities consisted of reaching-based tasks that were both rhythmic and discrete. The Motor Assessment Scale (MAS), Motor Status Scale (MSS), and muscle strength were used as outcome measures. Assessments were administered at baseline and posttraining by a rater blinded to group assignment.
                Both groups had significant improvements on the MSS and measures of strength. The bilateral group had significantly greater improvement on the Upper Arm Function scale (a subscale of the MAS-Upper Limb Items).
                Both bilateral and unilateral training are efficacious for moderately impaired chronic stroke survivors. Bilateral training may be more advantageous for proximal arm function. and objective. Unilateral spatial neglect (USN) can interfere with rehabilitation processes and lead to poor functional outcome. The purpose of this study was to determine whether prism adaptation (PA) therapy improves USN and functional outcomes in stroke patients in the subacute stage.
                . A multicenter, double-masked, randomized, controlled trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of a 2-week PA therapy on USN assessed with the Behavioral Inattention Test (BIT), the Catherine Bergego Scale (CBS), and activities of daily living (ADL) as evaluated with the Functional Independence Measure (FIM). A total of 38 USN patients with right-brain damage were divided into prism (n = 20) and control (n = 18) groups. Patients were divided into mild and severe USN groups according to BIT behavioral test (mild ≥ 55 and severe<55). The prism group performed repetitive pointing with prism glasses that induce rightward optical shift twice daily, 5 days per week, for 2 weeks, whereas the control group performed similar pointing training with neutral glasses.
                . The FIM improved significantly more in the prism group. In mild USN patients, there was significantly greater improvement of BIT and FIM in the prism group.
                . PA therapy can significantly improve ADL in patients with subacute stroke. To determine whether there is a statistically significant difference in the surgical outcome of everting sutures (ES) alone versus everting sutures with a lateral tarsal strip (ES+LTS) in the treatment of involutional entropion.
                Prospective randomized comparative trial.
                Sixty-three patients with primary involutional lower eyelid entropion were enrolled in the study. The age range was 54 to 94 years, with a mean age of 77 years. Baseline characteristics of the comparative groups were similar.
                Patients requiring primary surgical repair for involutional entropion were selected, and those providing informed consent were randomized for surgery. Thirty-six patients were randomized to ES alone, and 27 patients were randomized to ES+LTS. Patients were evaluated at 3 weeks and 6, 12, and 18 months postoperatively.
                Successful surgery was defined as a normal eyelid position at rest and inability to induce entropion on tetracaine provocation testing at or before the 18-month follow-up visit.
                Eight patients were lost to follow-up (7 had ES alone). Of the 55 patients with complete follow-up data, there were 6 failed procedures in the patients who underwent ES alone and no failed procedures in the patients who underwent ES+LTS (P = 0.02).
                These data provide strong evidence that success rates at 18 months are higher in patients treated with ES+LTS procedure compared with ES alone.
                Copyright (c) 2010 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The available literature consists mainly of retrospective case reviews, which are difficult to reliably interpret and analyse. The one randomised trial included found unilateral surgery more effective than bilateral surgery for basic intermittent exotropia. However, across all identified studies, measures of severity and thus criteria for intervention are poorly validated, and there appear to be no reliable natural history data. There is therefore a pressing need for improved measures of severity, a better understanding of the natural history and carefully planned clinical trials of treatment to improve the evidence base for the management of this condition.