Triphasic waves in coma from brainstem infarction

There have been reports on patients in stupor or coma from a variety of disorders that affect the brain diffusely, notably hepatic failure, whose EEGs showed triphasic waves. We describe a patient in coma with neurologic signs localizing to the brainstem who had triphasic waves on EEG. This case further confirms the nonspecific nature of triphasic waves.