Language Testing During Awake “Anesthesia” in a Bilingual Patient with Brain Lesion Adjacent to Wernicke's Area

Abstract

Awake "anesthesia" is the preferable anesthetic approach for neurosurgical procedures that require intraoperative localization of eloquent brain areas. We describe intraoperative inducible selective English aphasia in a bilingual (English and Italian) patient undergoing awake anesthesia for excision of a brain lesion adjacent to Wernicke's area with no postoperative neurological sequelae. We discuss the importance of intraoperative brain mapping and intraoperative language testing in bilingual patients to prevent iatrogenic-related morbidity.