Doctors in the Netherlands have documented an unusual medical case involving a 17-year-old boy who awoke from routine knee surgery unable to speak or understand his native Dutch, communicating only in English. The teenager, who had primarily learned English through school education, initially failed to recognize his parents and showed no comprehension of his first language following the procedure.
Medical staff initially believed the symptoms were a short-term reaction to general anaesthesia, a known but typically temporary effect. However, when the language disruption continued, further neurological evaluation was conducted. Physicians ultimately diagnosed the patient with foreign language syndrome, an exceptionally rare condition in which individuals temporarily lose their primary language and retain or revert to a secondary one.
Hospital reports confirmed that the patient had no prior history of psychiatric illness, neurological disorders, or complications related to surgery. The knee operation itself was completed successfully, with no abnormalities detected that could directly explain the sudden language change, highlighting the rarity and limited understanding of the condition among medical professionals.
