[The EEG during post-traumatic coma (author's transl)].

With traumatic coma, the underlying pathomorphology may vary and it may not always be possible to establish it. Possible organic lesions are contusions of brain, oedema, intracranial haematoma, fat embolism, or an open brain injury. On the other hand there may be no organic lesions, as for instance in concussion. In every case, the leading clinical symptom is alteration of consciousness. This arises through interference, at some point, with the reticulo-thalamocortical system which is responsible for the regulation of consciousness. Concurrently with the alteration of consciousness, the EEG also shows changes. At the same time, the EEG is affected by the other effects of trauma upon the brain. Becuase of this, this EEG is not exclusively determined by the degree of unconsciousness. The possible causes of traumatic unconsciousness, and of the pathological waves seen in such cases, cannot always be established in clinical medicine, and experimental studies particularly with regard to neurophysiology are required to explain them....