title: Somatosensory evoked potentials and cognitive sequelae in children with closed head-injury.
abstract: In search of a prognostic indicator for residual cognitive function loss in children after closed head-injury, the somatosensory evoked potential P300 has been studied in a prospective follow-up study of 17 patients with mild and moderately severe head-injuries. The P300 response was measured in the acute phase after patients regained consciousness. In addition the duration of coma and of post-traumatic amnesia were recorded. An age-matched control group of 20 healthy children supplied age-related normative evoked potential data. During a two-years follow-up period the presence of residual disorders in various faculties was evaluated at fixed time intervals after discharge. Correlation analyses revealed that, where the duration of coma and of post-traumatic amnesia qualify as general predictors of sequelae, the long-latency somatosensory evoked potential P300 correlated specifically with long-term deficits in the field of school performance.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurology, St. Radboud University Hospital, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Ruijs
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Keyser
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Gabreëls
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Notermans
mesh_terms: D000124:Achievement; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015600:Glasgow Coma Scale; D016489:Head Injuries, Closed / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires