Crossed aphasia in a dextral: a test of the Alexander-Annett theory of anomalous organization of brain function.

A case of crossed aphasia is presented in a strongly right-handed 77-year-old white female without history of familial sinistrality or prior neurological illness. She developed a right middle cerebral artery infarction documented by CT and accompanied by obvious clinical signs of a conduction aphasia with some resolution but continuing obvious language defect after 9 weeks in rehabilitation. Comprehensive neuropsychological and aphasia testing suggested anomalous lateralization of phonologic-output aspects of language, emotional prosody, motor planning and body schema modules with usual lateralization of lexical-semantic aspects of language and visuo-spatial functions. Experimental validation of the uncrossed lexical-semantic aspects of language using tachistoscope methods found support for the Alexander-Annett theory that different aspects of language can be dissociated in their lateralization. The subject had difficulty identifying a semantic associate of a picture presented to the left visual field (7 errors out of 10) relative to right visual field presentation (2 errors out of 10). Bilateral free naming errors (6 and 5 errors in the left and right visual fields, respectively) occurred consistent with the aphasic presentation, suggesting phonologic-output dysfunction from the right cerebral vascular accident. Implications of the results for aphasia classification are discussed.

Another alternative in leg revascularization.

Prosthetic grafts of various types have been the only alternative to revascularization of the leg when the saphenous vein is not used. Our complication rate with prosthetic grafts has led us to search for a different alternative. Long-segment endarterectomy of the iliac, femoral, and popliteal arteries has become a realistic procedure with the use of the Hall oscillating endarterectomy instrument. Although it may be difficult technically and more time-consuming than a usual bypass graft procedure, the results have been good. Fifty-eight procedures have been reported in 53 patients. Eighty-eight percent of the procedures were performed for limb salvage with a 5 percent operative mortality rate. There was an overall cumulative limb salvage rate of 88 percent. The cumulative patency rate with a follow-up of 5 to 24 months was 55 percent. Special emphasis has been placed on technical considerations and pitfalls of the procedure. The procedure is versatile and can be used in combination with a variety of both inflow and outflow procedures.