Long-term effects of transient cerebellar mutism after cerebellar astrocytoma or medulloblastoma tumor resection in childhood

Background: Following cerebellar tumor resection, some patients develop transient cerebellar mutism (TCM). Although the mutism resolves, it is not known whether there are long-term motor speech deficits in patients with TCM that are in excess of those in individuals with cerebellar tumors who had not developed postoperative TCM. Methods: Long-term survivors of cerebellar tumors resected in childhood who developed TCM were matched to survivors without TCM and to controls. Speech samples were formally analyzed by two speech pathologists. Results: Tumor survivors who had TCM had significantly more ataxic dysarthric speech and slower speech than either those without TCM or controls and were more dysfluent than controls. Tumor survivors without TCM did not differ from controls on ataxic dysarthria or speech rate. Conclusions: Survivors who had TCM showed more speech deficits than controls or survivors without TCM. The data suggest that speech deficits are chronic if not permanent sequelae of TCM.