A case of pure word mutism: don't be fooled!

A case of pure word mutism, often called "small Broca's aphasia," in a 44-year-old woman with a psychiatric history and a long history of unresolved, vague neurologic symptoms is presented. Although hysterical reaction was high on the list of differential diagnoses due to the patient's medical history, cranial computed tomography performed in the emergency department revealed an infarct in the distribution of the middle cerebral artery, which probably caused her condition. The patient improved slightly during hospitalization and was discharged on the sixth hospital day with a moderate expressive aphasia for which she received intensive speech therapy.