Electrographic status epilepticus in fatal anoxic coma.

Electrographic status epilepticus in the absence of conspicuous somatic motor manifestations is described in 10 patients who were comatose following anoxic-ischemic brain damage. The outcome was unfavorable and the response to anticonvulsant drugs was poor. We describe a clinical sign predictive of the electroencephalographic findings, namely brisk, small-amplitude, mainly vertical eye movements readily detectable by passively elevating the lids. However, similar eye movements may infrequently be found in patients whose electroencephalograms show abnormal spike discharges without the occurrence of electrographic status epilepticus following cerebral anoxia, as in 2 other patients we describe.