Value of EEG,TCD and SEP on evaluating brain function in coma patients / 临床神经病学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the value of electroencephalogram(EEG), transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD), somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) on evaluating brain function in coma patients. Methods The brain function in 72 cases of coma(mild coma 12,moderate coma 17,open eyes coma 4 and severe coma 39 cases) were examined using EEG,SEP ,TCD and scored. Results For the first time of exam, the results of EEG in 25 cases were electrical silence; no blood stream signalthe were found in 28 cases by TCD; the wave of P14 were disappeared in 26 cases by SEP and all of them belonged to severe coma group. For the second time exam, the results of finally EEG in 17 cases were electrical silence. The results of TCD in other 24 cases were surge waves and nail waves spectra eumorphism. Brain function grading the EEG grade V in 42 cases, grade Ⅳ in 10 cases, grade Ⅲ in 14 cases were affirmed; TCD grade V in 28 cases, grade Ⅳ in 9 cases and SEP grade Ⅲ in 27 cases were affirmed. All the 28 cases of death and the most of 25 cases abandoned treatment for many reasons were belong to severe coma group. Conclusions The more severe of coma, the higher grade of EEG,TCD and SEP, the worse of prognosis. EEG,SEP,TCD testing can provide an objective indicator not only for evaluating brain function of coma patients, but aslo for estimating prognosis.