Reversible Locked-in State in Postinfective Measles Encephalitis

To the Editor.— Locked-in state (LIS) is a rare syndrome usually caused by an infarct of the ventral pons or bilateral infarct of the midbrain. A few reports have appeared of LIS resulting from nonvascular conditions, eg, heroin overdose, tumor, and central pontine myelinolysis. Most cases were fatal. Recently, other cases showing inability to communicate with the surrounding world have been included in this entity. 1 A reversible case of LIS that occurred after "swine flu" vaccination was reported, 2 but in that case compression of the basilar artery was found on arteriography. We studied a case of measles encephalitis in which the course of LIS was reversed. Report of a Case.— A 16-year-old girl was hospitalized with complaints of fever, rash, and headache of five days' duration. On admission, she was stuporous, with a diffuse maculopapular rash, most prominent on the face. A lumbar puncture yielded clear fluid under