Motor Vehicle Collision Due to Left Hemineglect Associated with a Stroke

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Source: NEJM

Original: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMicm2506958?af=R&rss=currentIssue...

Published: 2025-12-17T10:00:03Z

A 75-year-old man with hypertension was hit by a car and brought to the emergency department; dashcam video showed that he was unresponsive to left-sided stimuli, which directed doctors to a neurological examination[1]. MRI revealed an acute cerebral infarction in the right parietal cortex, a typical location for left hemineglect[1]. Clinically, the patient had a selective deficit of perception and attention to the left half of space without complete visual impairment, consistent with hemineglect[1]. Doctors reported a link between the new heart attack and the sudden onset of spatial neglect, which likely contributed to the vehicle crash[1]. Treatment included standard acute management measures for ischemic stroke and initiation of rehabilitation aimed at rehabilitating attention and spatial perception[1]. The authors emphasized the importance of assessing the neurological status in traffic accidents, especially in elderly patients with vascular risk factors[1]. The article describes a case report, not a controlled study, and presents a video-documentation of the case to support the diagnosis and understanding of the accident mechanism[1].