Four cases of "locked-in" syndrome and review of the literature.
The clinical features, pathology, the autopsy studies, EEG correlation, and the cause of death were discussed. The difference between the locked-in syndrome and classical akinetic mutism was discussed. The importance of reaching a correct diagnosis was stressed to allow a different nursing care program for the conscious "locked-in" patient. Two of our cases were short-term survival, two were long-term survival, one of whom (Case 4) is still living and is the longest survival reported in the literature.
D000328:Adult; D001488:Basilar Artery; D004569:Electroencephalography; D006801:Humans; D002542:Intracranial Embolism and Thrombosis / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008526:Medulla Oblongata / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009155:Mutism / Q000209:etiology; D011149:Pons / Q000098:blood supply*; D011782:Quadriplegia / Q000209:etiology; D013577:Syndrome; D014711:Vertebral Artery