RT Book, Section
A1 Gomez, Mauricio
A1 Miller, Chad M.
A2 Sirven, Joseph I.
A2 Stern, John M.
SR Print(0)
ID 1103050594
T1 Nonepileptic Movements in Coma
T2 Atlas of Video-EEG Monitoring
YR 2011
FD 2011
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9780071597425
LK neurology.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1103050594
RD 2024/04/19
AB It  might  seem  as  if  it  came  straight  out  of  a  movie:  a  comatose  patient  suddenly  moves  his  hand  in  a  purposeful  manner,  trying  to  grab  the  bed  rail  or  even  your  hand.  There  are  times  when  a  neurologist  may  be  called  to  evaluate  such  a  patient  with  limb  movements  that  may  seem  rhythmic,  chaotic,  sudden,  or  purposeful,  or  even  eyes  that  may  be  moving  from  side  to  side  as  if  scanning  the  surroundings.  For  some,  this  concept  may  seem  enigmatic  or  even  raise  doubts  that  the  patient  is  in  a  coma.  Although  the  novice  may  find  such  a  consultation  intellectually  perplexing,  the  experienced  neurologist  encounters  this  routinely.  Typically,  the  neurologist  is  asked  to  investigate  because  of  clinical  concerns  of  a  seizure.  While  evaluating  these  patients,  the  clinician  also  must  be  able  to  distinguish  between  the  different  states  of  consciousness  that  may  mimic  coma,  such  as  akinetic  mutism,  locked-in  state,  coma  vigil,  vegetative  state,  and  even  psychogenic  unresponsiveness.  This  chapter  will  provide  a  review  of  different  types  of  nonepileptic  movements  in  coma  patients.