EEG frequency analysis in the course of acute ischemic stroke

In 18 patients with acute cerebrovascular disease (17 ischemic, 1 hemorrhagic stroke) neurological symptoms were scored repeatedly using a rating scale for disturbance of consciousness, motor dysfunctions, disturbance of higher cortical functions, abnormalities of cranial nerves, and impairment of sensations, and related to EEG-abnormalities quantified by frequency analysis. A correspondence between location of neurologic lesion and EEG focus was found in 87%, but correlation between neurologic score and the degree of EEG-abnormality was low. Changes of clinical defects were not significantly related to various quantified EEG parameters. These results suggest that computerized EEG analysis has to be used with caution for quantifying the clinical course of stroke patients.