ABSTRACT
Speech functions in 28 right handed stroke patients, with definite diagnosis of aphasia were assessed by a scorable test within two weeks after onset of their strokes. We aimed for following up these patients to reassess them at six months after onset. Only 17 of them continued the study. Nine [52.9%] of these 17 patients showed an improvement, including five [29.4%] with complete recovery of speech functions. Improvement was observed in 53.8% of men and 50% of women, in 66.6% of those below 40 years and in 50% of those above 40 years old. Only 25% of those with severe initial aphasia in comparison to 80% of initial mild aphasia had improved. Also 25% of those with initial severe or moderate limb weakness, while 77.7% of those with normal power or mild weakness had improved. As inferred from CT scans, improvement was better in cases of intracerebral haemorrhage [66.6%] than in those with cerebral infarcts [45.45%], with small lesions [60%] than with large ones [42.85%] and in deep lesions [83.3%] rather than lobar hemispheric lesions [36.36%]. Hemispheric lesions that extended to involve white matter and basal ganglia had more bad prognosis. Initial severity of aphasia and of limb weakness and lobar lesions particularly those extending to white matter and basal ganglia correlated significantly with the bad outcome