Early EEG patterns and SSEP responses are associated with neurological recovery of comatose patients with postanoxic encephalopathy after cardiac arrest. However, the nature and distribution of brain damage underlying the characteristic EEG and SSEP patterns are unknown. We relate EEG and SSEP findings with results from histological analyses of the brains of eleven non-survivors. ⋯ Absent SSEP responses were always accompanied by thalamic damage. Pathological burst suppression patterns were associated with a variable degree of neuronal damage to cortex, cerebellum and hippocampus. In patients with additional thalamic involvement, burst-suppression with identical bursts was observed, a characteristic EEG pattern presumably reflecting residual activity from a relatively isolated and severely compromised cortex.
van Putten
Michel J A M
MJAM
Clinical Neurophysiology, Medisch Spectrum Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands; Clinical Neur... more ophysiology, University of Twente, PO Box 217, 750, Casper Jansen, Marleen C Tjepkema-Cloostermans, Beernink
Tim M J
TMJ
Clinical Neurophysiology, Medisch Spectrum Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands., Rob Koot, Frank Bosch, Albertus Beishuizen, and Jeannette Hofmeijer. less
Clinical Neurophysiology, Medisch Spectrum Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands; Clinical Neurophysiology, University of Twente, PO Box 217, 7500 KA Enschede, The Netherlands. Electronic address: m.j.a.m.vanp... more utten@utwente.nl. less