Preserved cortical somatosensory evoked potentials in apnoeic coma with loss of brain-stem reflexes: case report

A comatose patient suffering from diffuse cerebellar haemorrhage developed apnoea and brainstem areflexia, i.e. the clinical signs of brain death. However, median nerve somatosensory evoked potential testing 2.5 h and 22 h after the onset of this clinical syndrome showed cortical potentials partly preserved; these were abolished 46 h after the beginning of the clinical signs of brain death. This case report underlines the need for electrophysiological confirmation of brain death in patients with primarily infratentorial lesions.