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58. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie e. V. (DGNC)

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (DGNC) e. V.

26. bis 29.04.2007, Leipzig

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Early magnetic resonance imaging in persistent vegetative state after severe head injury

Frühe Kernspintomographie beim apallischen Syndrom nach schwerem Schädel-Hirn-Trauma

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  • corresponding author S. Schreiber - Klinik für Neurochirurgie, Universitätsklinikum Magdeburg
  • I. Bondar - Klinik für Neurochirurgie, Universitätsklinikum Magdeburg
  • M. Skalej - Institut für Neuroradiologie, Universitätsklinikum Magdeburg
  • R. Firsching - Klinik für Neurochirurgie, Universitätsklinikum Magdeburg

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie. 58. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie e.V. (DGNC). Leipzig, 26.-29.04.2007. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2007. DocP 051

The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.egms.de/en/meetings/dgnc2007/07dgnc306.shtml

Published: April 11, 2007

© 2007 Schreiber et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.en). You are free: to Share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work, provided the original author and source are credited.

Outline

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Objective: The cause of persistent vegetative state remains unknown as of yet. In a prospective series of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of patients after head injury we in detail analyzed the imaging and clinical follow-up of those patients, who were discharged in a persistent vegetative state.

Methods: The MRI was analyzed by the neuroradiologist, who was blinded to the clinical findings in 11 patients discharged in a vegetative state. The clinical follow-up ranged approximately 6 months with a range of 3 months to 5 years.

Results: MRI revealed a lesion of the brain stem in all 11 patients. All patients had a lesion of the mesencephalon in the midline. Supratentorial lesions were found in 9 out of 11 patients, the pons was affected in 2 patients. Within one year 6 patients had died, 2 had improved to a state of severe handicap, one to a state of slight handicap.

Conclusions: The attention of histological reports has focused on the thalamus in patients who died after some time in persistent vegetative state. The above findings support the theory that vegetative state is mostly related to a lesion of the mesencephalon.