Lateralization phenomenon of complex auditory hallucinations.

A case is described of a patient who developed a transient verbal hallucination, lateralized to the right ear, and fluent aphasia after a hemorrhagic infarction in the left superior temporal gyrus. On the basis of this patient and the cases in the literature showing unilateral complex auditory hallucinations, the clinical significance of the lateralization phenomenon of complex auditory hallucinations was investigated. As a result, the lateralization phenomenon of complex auditory hallucinations could be considered a significant clinical sign indicating the existence of a lesion in the superior temporal gyrus opposite the hallucination side.