Title |
Conscious While Being Considered in an Unresponsive Wakefulness Syndrome for 20 Years
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Published in |
Frontiers in Neurology, August 2018
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DOI | 10.3389/fneur.2018.00671 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Audrey Vanhaudenhuyse, Vanessa Charland-Verville, Aurore Thibaut, Camille Chatelle, Jean-Flory L. Tshibanda, Audrey Maudoux, Marie-Elisabeth Faymonville, Steven Laureys, Olivia Gosseries |
Abstract |
Despite recent advances in our understanding of consciousness disorders, accurate diagnosis of severely brain-damaged patients is still a major clinical challenge. We here present the case of a patient who was considered in an unresponsive wakefulness syndrome/vegetative state for 20 years. Repeated standardized behavioral examinations combined to neuroimaging assessments allowed us to show that this patient was in fact fully conscious and was able to functionally communicate. We thus revised the diagnosis into an incomplete locked-in syndrome, notably because the main brain lesion was located in the brainstem. Clinical examinations of severe brain injured patients suffering from serious motor impairment should systematically include repeated standardized behavioral assessments and, when possible, neuroimaging evaluations encompassing magnetic resonance imaging and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography. |
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France | 2 | 17% |
United States | 2 | 17% |
Australia | 2 | 17% |
Germany | 1 | 8% |
Iran, Islamic Republic of | 1 | 8% |
Ireland | 1 | 8% |
Unknown | 3 | 25% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
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Members of the public | 8 | 67% |
Scientists | 3 | 25% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 1 | 8% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Unknown | 66 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Researcher | 9 | 14% |
Student > Master | 9 | 14% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 7 | 11% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 6 | 9% |
Student > Bachelor | 4 | 6% |
Other | 13 | 20% |
Unknown | 18 | 27% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Neuroscience | 16 | 24% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 11 | 17% |
Psychology | 7 | 11% |
Nursing and Health Professions | 3 | 5% |
Engineering | 2 | 3% |
Other | 5 | 8% |
Unknown | 22 | 33% |