Postoperative Cerebellar Mutism Syndrome in an Adult Patient

Abstract

Postoperative cerebellar mutism syndrome is a common complication occurring after surgical treatment of medulloblastoma in children. The clinical course of this syndrome is characterized by delayed onset after the surgical intervention, loss of speech, emotional lability, hypotonia, and oropharyngeal dysfunction. This syndrome is rarely seen in adults.We report here a case of postoperative cerebellar mutism in a 25-year-old female patient, who underwent a surgical intervention due to medulloblastoma of the forth ventricle. There are very few reported cases in literature of this syndrome.In the discussion we discuss the likely reasons for the syndrome to develop in adult patients.