Neuroprognostication of Consciousness Recovery in a Patient with COVID-19 Related Encephalitis: Preliminary Findings from a Multimodal Approach

Predicting the functional recovery of patients with severe neurological condition due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a challenging task. Only limited outcome data are available, the pathophysiology is poorly understood, and the time-course of recovery is still largely unknown. Here, we re...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Aude Sangare, Anceline Dong, Melanie Valente, Nadya Pyatigorskaya, Albert Cao, Victor Altmayer, Julie Zyss, Virginie Lambrecq, Damien Roux, Quentin Morlon, Pauline Perez, Amina Ben Salah, Sara Virolle, Louis Puybasset, Jacobo D Sitt, Benjamin Rohaut, Lionel Naccache
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-11-01
Series:Brain Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/10/11/845
Description
Summary:Predicting the functional recovery of patients with severe neurological condition due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a challenging task. Only limited outcome data are available, the pathophysiology is poorly understood, and the time-course of recovery is still largely unknown. Here, we report the case of a patient with COVID-19 associated encephalitis presenting as a prolonged state of unresponsiveness for two months, who finally fully recovered consciousness, functional communication, and autonomy after immunotherapy. In a multimodal approach, a high-density resting state EEG revealed a rich brain activity in spite of a severe clinical presentation. Using our previously validated algorithms, we could predict a possible improvement of consciousness in this patient. This case report illustrates the value of a multimodal approach capitalizing on advanced brain-imaging and bedside electrophysiology techniques to improve prognosis accuracy in this complex and new aetiology.
ISSN:2076-3425