title: Evoked potentials in acute ischemic stroke within the first 24 h: possible predictor of a malignant course.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In patients with large middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarction, space-occupying brain edema may lead to a malignant course with up to 80% mortality, under conservative treatment. As interventional treatment strategies must be started before the deterioration occurs, predictors of a malignant course are necessary.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study reports on the results of evoked potentials (brainstem auditory evoked potentials [BAEP] and median-nerve somatosensory evoked potentials [SEP]) within 24 h after onset of stroke in 30 patients suffering a large MCA infarct (14 patients with a malignant and 16 with a non-malignant course).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our findings indicate that pathological BAEP indicate a malignant course (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study shows that in patients suffering from large MCA infarction early assessment of EP within 24 h after onset of stroke may deliver useful information to select those patients who develop malignant edema.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Cologne, Kerpener Str. 62, 50924 Cologne, Germany. lothar.burghaus@uk-koeln.de
authors.forename: Lothar
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Burghaus
authors.forename: Wei-Chi
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dohmen
authors.forename: Bert
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bosche
authors.forename: Walter F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Haupt
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D001929:Brain Edema / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies