A Case of Global Aphasia without Hemiparesis

ABSTRACT

In addition to severe deficits in speech production and auditory comprehension, patients with global aphasia general-ly have a dense hemiplegia. However, acute global aphasia without hemiparesis (GAWH) occurs rarely and only a few cases of GAWH have been reported with variable conclusions regarding lesion localization, etiology, and prognosis. We report an unusual case of GAWH in which magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and single photon emission comput-ed tomography (SPECT) revealed only a single lesion of the left superior temporal area. Our case supports the notion that the functional anatomy of aphasia may be complex and that GAWH may have a more benign prognosis than typi-cal global aphasia with hemiparesis.