[Alexia without agraphia - not being able to read what one has written].

An elderly, right-handed, male patient presented to the emergency department at a middle sized hospital with a few hours' history of mild confusion and a difficulty expressing himself verbally. Past medical history consisted of hypertension and cured hairy cell leukemia. CT scan of the brain showed a 5 cm infarction in the left occipital lobe, and a corresponding P2 occlusion was seen. The patient was admitted to the stroke unit. While at the stroke unit, a detailed neurologic exam by a neurologist was performed. It was revealed that the patient could not read at all, but he could write perfectly with preserved spelling and handwriting. A diagnosis of "alexia without agraphia" was made. An MRI of the brain was performed, and infarctions well corresponding with prior case reports on the diagnosis were seen.