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Bilateral cortical blindness: an unusual complication following unilateral neck dissection

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 March 2006

P. Raj
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Birmingham, UK
P. L. A. Moore
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Birmingham, UK
J. Henderson
Affiliation:
Department of Radiology, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Birmingham, UK
M. Macnamara
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Birmingham, UK

Abstract

We present the case of a 50-year-old man who developed bilateral cortical blindness and confusion following a seemingly uneventful right-sided radical neck dissection. Computed tomography (CT) scans confirmed bilateral occipital lobe infarctions.

To our knowledge, there are no previously documented reports of this clinical event following head and neck surgical procedures. Although this is a rare occurrence, otolaryngologists should be aware of this potential post-operative complication.

The possible aetiologies of this condition are discussed.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© Royal Society of Medicine Press Limited 2002

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