Akinetic mutism and involuntary movements following radical resection of hypothalamic glioma--case report.

A 3-year-old boy presented with an unusual consciousness disturbance accompanied by involuntary movement disorder after radical surgical removal of a huge hypothalamic glioma. Postoperative computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a lesion in the bilateral basal ganglia. Marked neurological improvement was obtained by treatment with dopamine agonists, suggesting that the disruption of the dopaminergic pathway via the hypothalamus was the cause of these neurological symptoms.