Teen Wakes From Surgery Speaking Only English, Leaving Dutch Doctors Baffled

Teen Wakes From Surgery Speaking Only English, Leaving Dutch Doctors Baffled

A 17-year-old boy in the Netherlands has left doctors puzzled after waking from routine knee surgery unable to speak or understand his native Dutch, communicating solely in English.

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The teenager underwent an uncomplicated knee operation under general anaesthesia. However, upon regaining consciousness, he began speaking only English—a language he had mainly learned at school—and showed no comprehension of Dutch. He also initially failed to recognise his parents, raising alarm among hospital staff.

Doctors first believed the unusual behaviour was a temporary reaction to anaesthesia, a condition sometimes seen after surgery. When the symptoms did not resolve, further medical assessments were carried out. Specialists later diagnosed the boy with foreign language syndrome, an extremely rare and poorly understood neurological condition.

Medical reports confirmed that the patient had no prior psychiatric or neurological history, and the surgery itself was completed successfully without complications. Continuous monitoring revealed that while his cognitive functions remained intact, access to his primary language appeared temporarily disrupted.

Experts note that foreign language syndrome is distinct from foreign accent syndrome, as patients lose the ability to use their native language while retaining a secondary one. The rare case has attracted attention in medical circles, shedding light on the complex and still mysterious ways the human brain processes language.

Teen Wakes From Surgery Speaking Only English, Leaving Dutch Doctors Baffled