Doctors thought man was in a coma for 23 years before realising they made a huge mistake

The case of Rom Houben is something which has stunned the medical world for the last few decades.

After a near-fatal car crash in 1983, doctors believed the Belgian native was comatose and in a vegetative state - meaning he was alive, but unable to communicate, move, or think for himself.

He was said to have spent 23 years imprisoned in his own body, unable to do anything except listen, in a case eerily similar to that of Martin Pistorius.

That was until Rom met Dr Steven Laureys, who diagnosed him with locked-in syndrome (LIS) in 2006.

Rom Houben was involved in a near-fatal car crash which left him comatose and in a vegetative state (MICHEL KRAKOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

For those who don't know, this is a rare neurological condition where a person is conscious but unable to move or communicate verbally, except via eye movements.

The medic, who was a part of the University of Liege's Coma Science Group, explained that he had made a major breakthrough after conducting numerous tests to determine Rom's brain function.

Speaking to CBS News in November 2009, Laureys said: "When we put him in the PET scanner and the fMRI, we saw his brain was functioning normally.

"So he was not vegetative, definitely not."

The neurologist believed that Rom's case proved that thousands of patients who are classed as being in a vegetative state are misdiagnosed, pointing out that the 'stamp of unconsciousness' is hard to shake off.

Following the supposedly good news, Rom's mother Fina Houben said that she had always believed that her son could still communicate with her, explaining that she was able to tell when he was in a 'bad mood or when he was in pain'.

"He is not depressed, he is an optimist," she told the BBC in 2009. "He wants to get out of life what he can."

And so, arrangements were made to allow Rom to do just that.

While remaining in hospital in his home country, he was given a specially trained assistant who helped him with 'facilitated communication', which is also known as supported typing.

This technique involves the facilitator picking up on 'micro movements' which the patient makes, before they help guide the person's hand to point to letters, pictures or objects on a keyboard as a form of communication.

The Belgian began 'speaking' with the assistance of a facilitated communicator after 23 years (STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images)

Rom, a former martial arts enthusiast, apparently had a lot to say after he started working with speech therapist and facilitated communicator Linda Wouters.

He was said to have typed out a series of messages with the aid of a computer, explaining that he had screamed 'but there was nothing to hear' throughout the 23 years doctors thought he was in a coma.

"I dreamed myself away," he said. "I shall never forget the day when they discovered what was really wrong with me. It was my second birth."

Rom was also supposedly writing a book about his experience thanks to the technology.

But after video footage of him working with Linda began to circulate, skeptics raised concerns about the facilitated communication method - and later, Dr Laureys was also forced to admit it was not effective.

Dr Steven Laureys believed Rom was a lot more conscious than medics had initially thought (JULIEN WARNAND/AFP via Getty Images)

In a bid to dispel speculation, Dr Laureys - who is an expert researcher in the field of brain function and vegetative states - conducted a series of tests on a group of coma patients, including Rom.

Participants were shown a series of objects and words while their facilitated communicators were not present, before being asked to relay what they had seen or heard when the facilitators returned to the room.

Rom failed all 15 questions of the test, according to local media outlet Der Spiegel.

"It's easy to watch the video and say this method is not valid, but to prove that it is not true is actually very difficult," Dr Laureys told the BBC while discussing his findings.

Rom pictured with his mother in 2009 shortly after his 'second birth' (JULIEN WARNAND/AFP via Getty Images)

"The story of Rom is about the diagnosis of consciousness, not communication," Dr Laureys said.

"I hope Rom and his family will stay as an example of how hard it is to pick up the signs of consciousness.

"Even when we know that patients are conscious, we don't know if there is pain or suffering or what they are feeling."

The neurologist maintained that the Belgian man was still a lot more conscious than doctors had previously believed and added that he believed Rom's work with the Linda was genuine.

Revealing his findings to researchers in London, according to NPR, Dr Laureys said: "We presented three cases after traumatic brain injury. Two failed the test. And that was including Rom."

He explained the tests had been repeated multiple times with Rom's facilitator, but the results were always inconclusive.

Tragically, what was supposed to be a medical triumph - and a personal one for Rom - turned out to be hugely misguided.