Terson Syndrome: Not to Be Missed in Patients with Disorders of Consciousness

Abstract

The diagnosis of clinical cognitive motor dissociation (cCMD) can be hindered by pitfalls during standardized clinical evaluation based on gold-standard neurobehavioral rating scales. We introduce here a new pitfall, by reporting two cases of Terson syndrome (TS) after subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) caused by the rupture of an anterior communicant artery aneurysm, hospitalized in the Acute Neurorehabilitation Unit (ANR) of CHUV. TS is reported to occur in 8–19.3% of patients suffering from SAH. It can lead to significant visual impairment and if unrecognized, may impair the patient’s capacity to interact appropriately with the environment; it thus presents an important pitfall in recognizing clinical cognitive–motor dissociation (cCMD) in patients with altered states of consciousness. An early ophthalmological exam should be considered in all patients with SAH and disorders of consciousness or visual complaints.

Keywords

• disorders of consciousness
• Terson syndrome
• clinical cognitive–motor dissociation