Visual disturbance associated with postoperative cerebellar mutism

Cerebellar mutism is an uncommon complication of posterior fossa surgery. Manifestations include disturbances of articulation, prosody, and pitch, and, if severe, complete mutism. Symptoms are independent of recognizable cortical or brainstem injury, and recovery is variable, with permanent deficits frequently observed. Cerebellar dysfunction is commonly invoked as an etiology, although controversy remains concerning the mechanism. Visual impairment has been reported only once before in the setting of this disorder. We report a confirmatory case of sudden, severe visual loss in association with cerebellar mutism after resection of a midline medulloblastoma in a 7-year-old. (C) 2005 by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.