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The complete apallic syndrome--a case report.
Intensive Care Medicine
|January 1, 1989
Summary
Patients with complete apallic syndrome show isoelectric electroencephalograms (EEGs) despite stable vital functions. This severe neurological condition, characterized by extensive cortical damage, has shown no recovery in observed cases or literature reviews.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Neurophysiology
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- Apallic syndrome, also known as persistent vegetative state, is a severe neurological condition.
- Distinguishing complete apallic syndrome from other states of consciousness is crucial for prognosis and patient management.
Observation:
- Six patients with apallic syndrome presented with isoelectric electroencephalogram (EEG) readings.
- Despite isoelectric EEG, patients maintained spontaneous breathing and stable vegetative functions.
- Cortical somatosensory evoked potentials were absent in four patients, and cranial CT revealed extensive cortical hypodensity with minimal brainstem damage.
Findings:
- The observed syndrome aligns with the definition of
- complete apallic syndrome
- characterized by profound cortical damage and unresponsiveness.
- No recovery was observed in the six patients studied, nor in 23 similar cases reported in the literature.
Implications:
- Complete apallic syndrome represents a state of irreversible severe brain damage.
- The findings underscore the importance of comprehensive neurophysiological and imaging assessments for diagnosis.
- This research highlights the grave prognosis associated with complete apallic syndrome, emphasizing the lack of therapeutic options currently.