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.
Wagner
W
W
Neurochirurgische Universitätsklinik, Mainz, Germany.
Ungersböck
K
K
Perneczky
A
A
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*