title: Locked-in syndrome: report of a case.
abstract: Locked-in syndrome is a unique clinical condition associated with ventral pontine lesions. The locked-in state is characterized by tetraplegia and mutism with maintenance of alertness as well as vertical eye movements and eye blinking, by which communication is possible. A case of locked-in syndrome in a 58-year-old man that demonstrates the clinical manifestations of the disorder is reported. Unless the physician is familiar with the signs and symptoms of the locked-in syndrome, the diagnosis may be missed and the patient may erroneously be considered comatose.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, Akron.
authors.forename: U E
authors.initials: UE
authors.lastname: Gallo
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Fontanarosa
mesh_terms: D003128:Coma / Q000175:diagnosis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011782:Quadriplegia / Q000175:diagnosis