The Dide–Botcazo syndrome: Forgotten and misunderstood

Abstract

Bilateral infarcts of the posterior cerebral arteries are associated with a range of visual and memory deficits. In 1902, Dide and Botcazo presented a clinico-pathological case study linking visual field defects, topographical disorientation, retro-anterograde amnesia and alexia with bilateral medial occipito-temporal lesions. Based on the findings they suggested the occipital lobe and inferior longitudinal fasciculus played an important role in memory. The combination of deficits was subsequently referred to on occasion as Dide–Botcazo syndrome but the term was largely forgotten until revived in the 1980s. More recently, some authors have included visual anosognosia – Anton's syndrome – in the syndrome, a feature that was not in the original case report. Here we present a historical review of Dide–Botcazo syndrome, illustrated with a recent case with almost identical clinical features to that described by Dide and Botcazo. Although Dide and Botcazo's theory of occipital amnesia has been superseded by developments in our understanding of the neurobiology of memory, it seems fitting to remember in some way their description of a clinical association of visual and memory deficits. We suggest Dide–Botcazo syndrome be used to describe a variant of vascular dementia, where visual field deficits are associated with memory impairment and, depending on the location of the vascular lesions, visual perceptual dysfunction, topographic, imagery or dreaming deficits.