title: Postoperative mutism after removal of an anterior falcine meningioma.
abstract: Postoperative mutism is rare. We present a 65-year-old man who had transient mutism after resection of anterior falx meningioma. Mild left hemiparesis and palmomental reflex on the right were the only abnormal signs on neurological examination. CT scan and MRI demonstrated a mass at the anterior one-third portion of the falx just superior to the corpus callosum. The mass enhanced homogenously with administration of gadolinium DTPA. The patient underwent surgical resection of the lesion and adjacent falx cerebri. The operation was uneventful. On the second postoperative day he became mute. He could follow verbal commands, and write and read. Postoperative CT scan revealed a hypodense area in the right frontal lobe including a part of the anterior cingulate cortex and the anterior part of the corpus callosum. Histopathological examination revealed a mixed meningioma. Ten days postoperatively, he began to say simple words, and three weeks later he could talk normally. We consider that lesion of the supplementary motor area (SMA) may be responsible for postoperative mutism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Pamukkale University School of Medicine, Zeytinkoy mh. Aksemsettin cd. No.16, Denizli, Turkey.
authors.forename: Kadir
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tahta
authors.forename: Bayram
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cirak
authors.forename: Emre
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pakdemirli
authors.forename: Tuncer
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suzer
authors.forename: Fatma
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tahta
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008577:Meningeal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D008579:Meningioma / Q000601:surgery; D009155:Mutism / Q000209:etiology*; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012196:Review Literature as Topic; D015173:Supratentorial Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods