Traumatic Korsakoff syndrome.

A case of Korsakoff's syndrome occurring after a fall is reported. The patient was comatose on admission. Cerebral contusions were seen in the frontal lobes bilaterally, left temporal lobe, right caudate nucleus and cerebellar vermis. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) study showed diffuse hyperaemia. Although his conscious state improved gradually, he showed disorientation, antegrate and retrograde amnesia and confabulation 2.5 months later and was diagnosed as having Korsakoff's syndrome. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and CBF studies during this period showed damage in the midbrain and general hypoperfusion. He recovered gradually, confabulation disappeared but a mild memory disturbance remained; hypoperfusion on CBF studies also improved up to the normal range. Among the limbic diencephalic structures, the frontal lobes were thought to be involved most prominently in this case of Korsakoff syndrome.