J Korean Med Sci.  2010 Jan;25(1):123-127. 10.3346/jkms.2010.25.1.123.

Severity of Post-stroke Aphasia According to Aphasia Type and Lesion Location in Koreans

• Kang EK
• Sohn HM
• Han MK
• Kim W
• Han TR
• Paik NJ

• KMID: 1713842
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2010.25.1.123

Abstract

To determine the relations between post-stroke aphasia severity and aphasia type and lesion location, a retrospective review was undertaken using the medical records of 97 Korean patients, treated within 90 days of onset, for aphasia caused by unilateral left hemispheric stroke. Types of aphasia were classified according to the validated Korean version of the Western Aphasia Battery (K-WAB), and severities of aphasia were quantified using WAB Aphasia Quotients (AQ). Lesion locations were classified as cortical or subcortical, and were determined by magnetic resonance imaging. Two-step cluster analysis was performed using AQ values to classify aphasia severity by aphasia type and lesion location. Cluster analysis resulted in four severity clusters: 1) mild; anomic type, 2) moderate; Wernicke's, transcortical motor, transcortical sensory, conduction, and mixed transcortical types, 3) moderately severe; Broca's aphasia, and 4) severe; global aphasia, and also in three lesion location clusters: 1) mild; subcortical 2) moderate; cortical lesions involving Broca's and/or Wernicke's areas, and 3) severe; insular and cortical lesions not in Broca's or Wernicke's areas. These results revealed that within 3 months of stroke, global aphasia was the more severely affected type and cortical lesions were more likely to affect language function than subcortical lesions.

Keyword

Stroke; Aphasia; Classification

MeSH Terms

Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Anomia/etiology/pathology
Aphasia/classification/etiology/*pathology
Aphasia, Broca/diagnosis/etiology/*pathology
Aphasia, Wernicke/diagnosis/etiology/*pathology
Cluster Analysis
Disability Evaluation
Female
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Middle Aged
Republic of Korea
Retrospective Studies
Severity of Illness Index
Stroke/*complications/pathology
Time Factors

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