[Transient prosopagnosia after removal of a tumor in the right occipito-temporal cortex: a case report]

A 58-year-old man with metastatic brain tumor in his right occipito-temporal region was operated, using craniectomy. He had no neurological symptoms preoperatively. The tumor was 2.5 cm in diameter with minor perifocal edema. Two days after total removal of the tumor, typical prosopagnosia appeared, in which he could not recognize his wife's face as well as faces of medical stuff. He could see them as a whole, and described them undistinguishably from each other. He used voices, movements and clothing to recognize a familiar person. His recognition and semantic knowledge of people were found to be intact and he could recognize certain parts of the face (e.g. the nose or the mouth). He could clearly see other parts of the body, the environment and other objects, in color. The prosopagnostic condition lasted for a few weeks and slowly disappeared. Prosopagnosia caused by surgical procedure has been rarely reported. Although postoperative prosopagnosia is likely to be transient, it should be recognized as a complication in occipito-temporal cortex.