Somatosensory Evoked Potentials for prediction of outcome in Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit

Abstract

Somatosensory Evoked Potentials (SEPs) have been shown to provide prognostic information in both adults and children with acute brain injury. Aim of this study is to evaluate SEPs prospectively as a predictor of neurological outcome in children with ischemic brain injury. We performed SEPs in 29 consecutive patients with acute ischemic injury. SEPs were classified as bilaterally normal (SEPs-N/N), bilaterally absent (SEPs-A/A), unilaterally absent (SEPs-N/A). Ten pts have SEPs-N/N (outcome: 5 with normal outcome, 4 with epilepsy, 1 exitus); 3 pts have SEPs N/A (outcome: all with hemiparesis and one also with cognitive impairment); 15 pts with SEPs A/A (outcome: 9 exitus and 6 with tetraparesis and cognitive impairment). We suggest that SEPs may be a good predictor of neurological outcome in children with acute ischemic brain injury.