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Broca's aphasia (non-fluent aphasia)
Etiology:
1) carotid artery dissection
2) infarction in the distribution of the superior frontal branch of the middle cerebral artery
3) hemorrhage
4) brain tumor
Pathology:
- cortical & subcortical lesion of the prefrontal lobe & frontal lobe
Clinical manifestations:
1) nonfluent aphasia
2) agrammatic sentences
3) poor articulation
4) dysprosody
5) mutism may be present
6) associated manifestations
a) contralateral hemiparesis
b) minor or no sensory loss
c) no visual field disturbance
d) oral dyspraxia
e) cortical dysarthria
f) severe impairment in writing
g) auditory comprehension: relatively normal
h) repetition: abnormal
i) naming: abnormal
j) reading comprehension: normal or abnormal
General
aphasia
References
- Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 13th ed.
Isselbacher et al (eds), McGraw-Hill Inc. NY, 1994, pg 158-161
- Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment, Osterweil et al eds,
McGraw Hill, New York, 2000, pg 75