Early Prognosis After Severe Human Head Injury Utilizing Multimodality Evoked Potentials

Abstract

Diagnostic studies used to evaluate comatose patients often yield information concerning the anatomical condition, i.e.,presence or absence of haematomas, brain displacements etc., not the functional condition of the brain and related structures. For example, a normal cerebral angiogram of computerized axial tomogram may be obtained in patients who succumb to their disease or survive with neurological deficits never detected by these studies. Evoked potentials, on the other hand, like the patients’ neurological examination, depend upon neuronal vitality for their realization, and are, therefore, in important method of assessing the functional state of the brain irrespective of the presence or absence of anatomical alterations.