Electrophysiological diagnosis of two psycho-visual syndromes: Balint's syndrome and cortical blindness

Cortical blindness and Balint's syndrome are two pathologies not well-know. It seems therefore interesting to report a typical patient case, suffering from Benson's posterior cortical atrophy, who presented successively both syndromes. The Balint's syndrome, which results from a bilateral parieto-occipital jun ction brain injury, and combines clinically a specified triad defects: a sp atial disorder of attention, a psychic paralysis of gaze and an optic ataxi a. The cortical blindness, which is caused by bilateral damage of the occip ital lobes (Broadman area 17). Electrophysiologically, the abolition of sho rt-latency components of visual evoked potentials and the presence of long- latency potentials are recorded. Visual strategy and visual evoked potentials are thus the only objective ex aminations allowing to diagnose and follow up these patient's evolution. In any case, an adequate visual rehabilitation has to be carried out in ord er to help the patient recovering his autonomy.