Prognosis in prolonged coma patients with diffuse axonal injury assessed by somatosensory evoked potentia

Xiujue Zheng; Mantao Chen; Jingqi Li; Fei Cao

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.10.010

Prognosis in prolonged coma patients with diffuse axonal injury assessed by somatosensory evoked potentia

Neural Regen Res. 2013 Apr 5;8(10):948-54. doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.10.010.

Authors

Xiujue Zheng¹, Mantao Chen¹, Jingqi Li², Fei Cao¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurosurgery, First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310003, Zhejiang Province, China.
² Hangzhou Hospital of Zhejiang Armed Police Corps, Hangzhou 310018, Zhejiang Province, China.

PMID: 25206387
PMCID: PMC4145927
DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.10.010

Abstract

A total of 43 prolonged coma patients with diffuse axonal injury received the somatosensory evoked potential examination one month after injury in the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University in China. Somatosensory evoked potentials were graded as normal, abnormal or absent (grades I-III) according to N20 amplitude and central conduction time. The outcome in patients with grade III somatosensory evoked potential was in each case unfavorable. The prognostic accuracy of grade III somatosensory evoked potential for unfavorable and non-awakening outcome was 100% and 80%, respectively. The prognostic accuracy of grade I somatosensory evoked potential for favorable and wakening outcome was 86% and 100%, respectively. These results suggest that somatosensory evoked potential grade is closely correlated with coma severity and degree of recovery. Somatosensory evoked potential is a valuable diagnostic tool to assess prognosis in prolonged coma patients with diffuse axonal injury.

Keywords: awakening; brain injury; coma; diffuse axonal injury; grants-supported paper; nerve electrophysiology; neural regeneration; neuroregeneration; prognosis; somatosensory evoked potential.