McLaurin and Helmer described the clinical syndrome associated with a temporal lobe contusion following traumatic brain injury. The authors are from the University of Cincinnati.
Clinical features:
(1) head injury, often associated with a sudden deceleration (as in a vehicle accident or fall)
(2) fracture of the occipital and/or temporal bone
(3) contusion of the temporal lobe on imagiing studies
(4) lethargy, restlessness and combativeness
(5) focal neurologic deficits (hemiparesis; expressive aphasia in left-sided lesion)
(6) progressive neurologic deterioration with maximum deficit within 2-4 days
The syndrome may be masked by the effects of other neurological damage.
The authors found that selective anterior temporal lobectomy can control the neurological deterioration and minimize the ultimate deficit in severe damage to the anterior pole of the temporal lobe.
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