[A juvenile case of locked-in syndrome living long after pontine infarction].

A juvenile case of locked-in syndrome (LiS) caused by pontine infarction was reported. A 26-year-old woman suddenly complained of speech disturbance, weakness of the left upper and lower limbs, and occipital headache. She was admitted to an emergency hospital. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a high intensity area on T2-weighted image at the ventral portion of the pons. She was transferred to our hospital for further treatment. On admission, she was mute and quadriplegic, but responded to our questions with vertical eye movements and blinks. Vertebral and carotid angiography demonstrated complete occlusion of the basilar artery between the bilateral superior cerebellar artery and the bilateral anterior inferior cerebellar artery. As she was able to move her head, she began training to use a personal computer equipped with a special device as a communication tool. Three years from the onset, she stays at her home, takes her favorite foods, and enjoys her life.