[EEG sleep patterns in post-traumatic coma (author's transl)].

EEG sleep patterns were observed in 44 cases of cranial injuries examined within 24 hours of the traumatic incident. Young people were involved, as more than half of these cases were noted in patients under 15 years of age. Two main types of tracing were observed: EEG sleep pattern with slow waves were seen mainly in children; but sleep patterns of low amplitude appeared generally in adolescents and adults. There was usually a favourable outcome in this series, as there was only one death the day after the accident, in a pateint with multiple injuries and only two cases of post-traumatic epilepsy.