P12-T Diagnostic criteria for NCSE in severe brain injury

Abstract

Background Non-Convulsive Status Epilepticus (NCSE) is one of the variants of a prolonged unconscious state, associated with continuous epileptiform activity on EEG, but without major motor signs. The NCSE complicates the course of severe brain injury and worsens the prognosis for the patient. The existing “Salzburg criteria” are considering clinical and electrophysiological indicators apart from the duration of unconsciousness. Material and methods A total of 31 patients suffering from NCSE with severe traumatic brain injury aged 20–65 years were examined. EEG registration was carried out on the “Mitsar-EEG-202” complex (LTD “Mitsar”, Russian Federation). EEG was performed dynamically at different times from the moment of injury. Results In those patients who were examined upon 1–4 days from the moment of brain injury, the index of epileptiform activity ranged from 30 to 60%. For those to whom EEG was performed after 5–10 days, epileptiform activity was registered with an index from 10% to 30%. On EEG performed on days 11–15, epileptiform activity was present with an index of at least 10%. Conclusions The criteria for diagnosing of non-convulsive status epilepticus depend on the duration of the patient’s unconscious state since the restoration of brain stem functioning, and also depend on the time elapsed since the moment of brain injury.