Traumatic decerebracy with preserved consciousness and voluntary movement

Decerebrate rigidity is a frequent occurrence in cases of craniocerebral trauma. It is almost always accompanied by coma and usually denotes a poor prognosis. Primary focal brain stem lesions due to trauma are uncommon and may be accompanied by other diffuse cerebral lesions. This report reviews the anatomical basis and clinical findings of a unilateral brain stem lesion in a patient with traumatic decerebracy and preserved consciousness. The anatomical pathways and possible physiological mechanism are discussed, and a few comments on the prognosis of such lesions are given.