Belgian Man Discovered to be Cognizant

By Rachel Stockton

When Ron Houben was the victim of a car crash that left him paralyzed in 1983, little could he have known that his case would lead to a breakthrough in how medical professionals diagnose and follow up on stroke and accident victims.

For a quarter of a century, Houben’s family members and caregivers have believed he was in a vegetative state.  Dr. Steve Laurys, however, had his doubts about Ron’s complete lack of cognition.  A relatively new medical discipline, neurocritical care, has opened up new avenues of technological advancement that have been able to shed more light on the plight of the brain injured.

During brain scanning sessions, Dr. Laurys noticed that certain areas of Houben’s brain “lit up”  to normal levels when he was asked a question.

A New Birth

If you haven’t fully contemplated Mr. Houben’s plight, suffice it to say that over the last 25 years, he has heard and comprehended every word every person has spoken in his presence; however, because of his paralysis, he was unable to respond or to even subtly let his family know that he was cognizant, but not in a vegetative state.

When Mr. Houben realized that Dr. Laurys had finally realized that he was not in a vegetative state, he says he felt as if he’d undergone a “second birth.”

Dr. Laurys and his colleagues at the University of Liege have discovered through the years that many who have been injuries to the brain can heal.  Until now, however, no follow up was typically done after the first diagnosis was made.

Not only was there a lack of follow through, there have been a number of patients who were misdiagnosed from the get go.  Rather than being in a vegetative state, they suffer from “locked in syndrome.”

According to WebMd, locked in syndrome is complete paralysis caused by lesions in the nerve centers that cause muscle contractions in the brain.  Characterized by complete paralysis except for certain voluntary eye movements, locked in syndrome can also be caused by a blood clot that restricts oxygen circulation in the brain.  In what has to be the pinnacle of bodily betrayal, patients who are locked in are literally trapped inside their own bodies.

Since Houben’s new birth, Dr. Laurys has discovered 18 more patients who were misdiagnosed; likely, neurocritical care physicians have only touched the hem of the garment.

In the meantime, Mr. Houben is being trained to communicate via a special keyboard.  He will likely have much to say; 25 years is a long time to be silent.

Being in a vegetative state, a man's life can be terminated involuntarily at any minute so a misdiagnosis like Mr. Houben can be life-threatening.