Background and purpose: Conjugate eye deviation (CED) occurs frequently in patients with acute stroke. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the factors that correlate with CED as well as the relationship between CED and outcomes in patients with acute intracerebral hemorrhage.
Methods: A total of 211 patients with acute supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage were recruited in a multicenter, prospective study. CED was assessed with a National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale "best gaze" subscore of ≥1. Hematoma location and volume were assessed on CT.
Results: Forty-five percent of the patients had CED. On multivariable analysis, right-sided lesion (OR, 2.36; 95% CI, 1.18-4.93), hematoma volume (OR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.04-1.10 per 1 mL), and baseline Glasgow Coma Scale score (OR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.53-0.80 per 1 point) were independently associated with CED. After adjusting for sex, age, intraventricular extension of the hematoma, baseline Glasgow Coma Scale score, and hematoma volume, the presence of CED both on admission and 72 hours later was an independent predictor of death or dependency at 3 months poststroke (OR, 5.77; 95% CI, 2.27-16.94). The optimal cutoff volume of hematoma related to CED was ≥13.5 mL for patients with putaminal hemorrhage (sensitivity, 76%; specificity, 72%) and ≥7.7 mL for patients with thalamic hemorrhage (sensitivity, 82%; specificity, 83%).
Conclusions: The persistence of CED was a significant predictor of death or dependency after acute supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage even after adjusting for initial severity and hematoma volume. CED can be evoked by a relatively smaller thalamic hematoma than a putaminal hematoma.