This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Citing articles on Web of Science (14)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Does It Exist?

Ladislav Volicer, MD, PhD; Stephen A. Berman, MD, PhD; Patsy B. Cipolloni, MD; Alan Mandell, MD

Arch Neurol. 1997;54(11):1382-1384.

Abstract
Objective
To determine if the published criteria for diagnosis of the persistent vegetative state could be applied to patients suffering from Alzheimer disease.

Design and Methods
Eighty-eight institutionalized patients with a diagnosis of possible or probable Alzheimer disease were evaluated for the presence of persistent vegetative state. Initial screening excluded patients who were able to do any of the following: feed themselves, respond to command, walk, or maintain continence of bowel and bladder. A sample of 12 of 28 patients unable to perform any of these functions was examined independently by 3 of us.

Results
During the first examination, 2 patients were diagnosed as being in a vegetative state by 2 of us and 3 additional patients by 1 of us. One of us did not diagnose any patient as being in a vegetative state. A second evaluation of the same patients was performed 2 months later, after holding a consensus meeting to standardize the evaluation procedure. During the second evaluation, the vegetative state was diagnosed in 6 patients but only by 1 of us.

Conclusion
The diagnostic disagreement between the neurologists indicates that Alzheimer disease may only rarely progress to the persistent vegetative state.

Author Affiliations
From the Geriatric Research Education Clinical Center, E. N. Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital, Bedford, Mass (Drs Volicer, Cipolloni, and Mandell); Departments of Pharmacology and Psychiatry (Drs Volicer and Mandell) and Neurology (Drs Cipolloni and Mandell), Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Mass; and Louisiana State University, Shreveport, La (Dr Berman).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Prevalence and characteristics of patients in a vegetative state in Dutch nursing homes
Lavrijsen et al.
J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry 2005;76:1420-1424.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Questions remaining about the minimally conscious state
Bernat
Neurology 2002;58:337-338.
FULL TEXT