Functional neurological disorder is a rare, nonorganic condition that may occur postoperatively, with variable symptomatology including sensory or motor impairments inconsistent with known medical disorders. We report the case of an elderly woman who developed postoperative unresponsiveness, immobility, and mutism with awareness lasting several hours after general anesthesia at a freestanding ambulatory surgery center. The patient was transferred to an emergency department, where an extensive neurological evaluation was unremarkable, and she spontaneously returned to baseline hours later. This acute and challenging presentation of postoperative functional neurological disorder illustrates that the condition may closely mimic organic emergencies, preventing same-day discharge.
Chappidi et al. (Sun,) studied this question.