Cerebellar mutism after basilar artery occlusion - Case report

A 30-year-old female became comatose due to embolic occlusion of the basilar artery, caused by surgical injury to the origin of the vertebral artery during removal of a neurinoma in the upper thoracic paravertebral region. The basilar artery occlusion was treated by local fibrinolysis through a microcatheter. Two weeks later she recovered her consciousness but suffered mutism. Her speech disturbance was characterized by severe ataxic dysarthria known as "cerebellar mutism" but without cranial nerve paresis. The mutism gradually improved during the following 3 months. This is case of cerebellar mutism was apparently due to ischemic stroke. Disturbance by hypoperfusion of the cerebellum and brain stem may have been involved in the pathogenesis of cerebellar mutism.