COMPLETE CALLOSAL DISCONNECTION AFTER CLOSED-HEAD INJURY

We report a patient with complete callosal disconnection syndrome after severe closed head injury. MRI showed a complete destruction of the corpus callosum throughout its length. Although traumatic callosal lesions are a frequent finding in autopsy studies, as well as in some recent MRI studies, clinical signs of callosal disconnection are rarely observed after head injuries and a complete disconnection syndrome has not been reported yet. This case study and the review of other reported cases suggest that posttraumatic callosal disconnection is probably often overlooked. Our patient had also a severe memory disorder that might be partly related to the bilateral involvement of the fornix, as this structure is closely adjacent to the posterior corpus callosum, and was also shown by MRI to be very probably damaged.