Locked-in syndrome after central pontine myelinolysis, an outstanding outcome of two patients.

Objective: Central pontine myelinolysis (CPM) is a rare demyelinating disease that affects the pons and which can cause extreme disabilities such as locked-in syndrome (LIS) in the initial phase. The aim of the study was to describe the evolution over a 12-month period of two patients with CPM causing an initial LIS.

Method: We retrospectively report the unexpected clinical outcome of these two patients in relation with the anatomical damages documented by brain MRI, associated with diffusion tensor imaging and reconstruction of corticospinal tracts in tractography.

The Importance of Material Used in Speech Therapy: Two Case Studies in Minimally Conscious State Patients.

Speech therapy can be part of the care pathway for patients recovering from comas and presenting a disorder of consciousness (DOC). Although there are no official recommendations for speech therapy follow-up, neuroscientific studies suggest that relevant stimuli may have beneficial effects on the behavioral assessment of patients with a DOC. In two case studies, we longitudinally measured (from 4 to 6 weeks) the behavior (observed in a speech therapy session or using items from the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised) of two patients in a minimally conscious state (MCS) when presenting music and/or autobiographical materials.