Somatosensory Evoked Potential Amplitudes Correlate With Long-Term Consciousness Recovery In Patients With Unresponsive Wakefulness Syndrome

Objective: To prospectively investigate relationships of cortical somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) amplitudes with consciousness recovery and disability in the year following brain injury in patients with vegetative state/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (VS/UWS).Methods: SEPs of 42 patients with VS/UWS were recorded 51.7 +/- 23.3 days post-injury. N20-P25 amplitudes were compared between patients with and without consciousness recovery at 6 months and 1 year post-injury.Results: SEPs were present in 21 patients and bilaterally absent in 21 patients. N20-P25 amplitudes were significantly higher in patients who recovered consciousness than in those who died or did not recover consciousness at 6 months (median, 4.6 vs. 1.9 mu V; P = 0.004) and 1 year (median, 4.6 vs. 2.1 mu V; P = 0.02) after injury. The lowest N20-P25 amplitude in a patient who recovered consciousness was 2.15 mu V. N20-P25 amplitudes correlated significantly with Coma Recovery Scale-Revised and Disability Rating Scale scores at 6 months and 1 year post-injury (both P < 0.05).Conclusions: In patients with VS/UWS, SEP amplitudes are related to consciousness recovery and disability at 6 months and 1 year post-injury.Significance: The evaluation of SEP amplitudes can help to refine prognoses for patients with VS/UWS. (C) 2021 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.