[Alpha coma: rectrospective presentation of 20 cases].
Alpha coma is a relatively rare variety of EEG resulting from diffuse cerebral anoxia, focal brainstem lesions, metabolic disturbances or intoxications. It is a monotonous, unreactive and anteriorly predominant activity of less than 50 microV and of 8 to 13 Hz. Twenty cases of alpha coma are reported: 16 resulting from anoxic encephalopathy, 2 from brain stem strokes, and 2 from metabolic encephalopathy. Cardiac arrest was the main cause of alpha coma (10 cases); a large number of patients (7 cases) died, or have survived with severe neurologic deficits (2 cases). In 2 cases there was a metabolic-toxic cause (benzodiazepines and parathion intoxication). The 2 patients with pontomesencephalic haemorrhage died. The physiopathogenicity of alpha coma, which remains obscure, is also discussed.
Centre EEG-EMG et de diagnostic neurophysiologique, service de neurologie, centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois (CHUV), Lausanne, Suisse.
P A
PA
Uldry
P A
PA
Despland
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F
Regli
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000513:Alpha Rhythm; D003128:Coma / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies
Alpha-coma: présentation rétrospective de 20 cas.