Speech and other functions after left (dominant) hemispherectomy

The development of hemispherectomy for glioma (mostly in adults) by Dandy (1928) and later for infantile hemiplegia by Krynauw (1950) permitted comparisons of effects of removal of either hemi-sphere on both the adult and young brain. Reviews of over 300 cases of hemispherectomy (e.g., White, 1961; McFie, 1961) reflect the 'functional plasticity' of the young brain. Continuing development of higher and lower level cerebral functions after right or left hemispherectomy in children with gliomas as well as infantile hemiplegia has been reported by most writers. A 10-year-old left-handed girl (Gardner Karnosh, McClure, and Gardner, 1955) and a 14-year-old right-handed boy (Hillier, 1954) were re-ported living 53 and 27 months respectively wit