Preserved cortical somatosensory evoked potentials in apnoeic coma with loss of brain-stem reflexes: case report.
A comatose patient suffering from diffuse cerebellar haemorrhage developed apnoea and brainstem areflexia, i.e. the clinical signs of brain death. However, median nerve somatosensory evoked potential testing 2.5 h and 22 h after the onset of this clinical syndrome showed cortical potentials partly preserved; these were abolished 46 h after the beginning of the clinical signs of brain death. This case report underlines the need for electrophysiological confirmation of brain death in patients with primarily infratentorial lesions.
Neurochirurgische Universitätsklinik, Mainz, Germany.
W
W
Wagner
K
K
Ungersböck
A
A
Perneczky
D000368:Aged; D001049:Apnea / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001926:Brain Death / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003128:Coma / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012021:Reflex, Abnormal / Q000502:physiology*