Introduction: Pure word deafness is a rare neurological disorder linked with an inability to comprehend speech. The precise localization of damage is still unclear.
Case presentation: A 72-year-old woman presented with acute verbal contact disturbances, disorientation, and anxiety. In the neurological examination a slight right hemiparesis was found, together with a pure word deafness (PWD) in neuropsychological tests. Neuroimages confirmed bilateral ischemic lesions in the superior temporal gyrus (STG) acute in the left hemisphere.
Conclusions: Our case suggested that bilateral, symmetric lesions in the region of STG could cause pure world deafness. The diversity and severity of symptoms confirm the necessity of pure world deafness classification for subtypes.
Keywords: Pure word deafness; ischemic stroke; speech comprehension; superior temporal gyrus; temporal lobe.