6533b82ffe1ef96bd12953a1

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Somatosensory evoked potentials aiding the diagnosis of brain death.

Mathias HennUllrich DillmannRoland Besser

subject

Brain deadComamedicine.medical_specialtyPathologyBrain DeathDissociation (neuropsychology)Far field potentialbusiness.industryHealthy subjectsGeneral MedicineAmplitudeSomatosensory evoked potentialInternal medicineEvoked Potentials SomatosensorymedicineCardiologyHumansSurgeryNeurology (clinical)Latency (engineering)medicine.symptombusiness

description

SEP were recorded in 14 patients, who fulfilled the clinical and electroencephalographic criteria of brain death. The results are compared with the respective ones in healthy subjects. Beside the absence of cortical N 20 in each brain dead patient, reduction of amplitude or absence of near field negativity (N 13b) from upper neck regardless of the position of the reference electrode represents the predominant result. The near field potential from the lower neck (N 13a) was unaffected. The counterpart in the far field potential recorded from F z was amplitude reduction of P 13. These results suggest that the dissociation of N 13a and N 13b can confirm the diagnosis of brain death. Moreover these results support the view of two independent generators of N 13a and N 13b despite their identical amplitude and latency.

10.1007/bf01794684https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3244415