Global Aphasia without Hemiplegia: Three Case Report

Global aphasia is the most severe form of language disorder. It is characterized by an extensive lesion involving the entire left perisylvian lesion and is usually accompanied by a dense right hemiplegia. However, it may be associated with only minimal and transient motor deficit. Most of the previous reports indicated that embolism was the most possible etiology of global aphasia without hemiplegia. Here we present three patients who acutely developed global aphasia without hemiplegia as a result of stroke. These patients were examined in both acute and chronic stages. Computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging studies demonstrated that one patient had a single temporoparietal infarct, one had a single frontotemporopareital infarct and one had a temporoparietal hematoma. There was good recovery of verbal communication abilities. By three months after onset, two could be classified as having a residual sensory aphasia and another a nearly normal speech. Our cases indicate that global aphasia without hemiplegia predicts a particularly good recovery of speech.