84670 - Neuropathophysiology 8 (Coma)

Learning outcomes

Acquires the knowledge and ability to understand the clinical pictures related to the coma state with related classifications and brain death diagnostics.

Course contents

EEG in the disorder of consciousness

EEG in nonconvulsive status epilepticus

EEG in convulsive status epilepticus

EEG of comas (metabolic, structural, etc.)

EEG in encephalic death

Brainstem evoked potentials in the comatose patient

Readings/Bibliography

Clinical Electroencephalography, Oriano Mecarelly published in 2019 by Springer Nature Switzerland; ISBN 978-3-030-04572-2 ISBN 978-3-030-04573-9 (eBook);https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04573-9

Teaching methods

Frontal Lessons

EEG examination reporting of different degrees of difficulty

The PDFs of each lecture will be available on VIRUALE after class. Students will have the chance of reviewing the material and ask the instructor to go over parts of the lecture that were unclear.

Discussions among students will be encouraged through in class questions on the subject covered during each class.

Assessment methods

Oral test

The date of the oral examination will be agreed with students at the first class

The exam will be held c/o I floor, pad G, Osp Bellaria

Two questions, one of which will be on the theoretical part, the other based on the recognition of  EEG/EP patterns of comatose patients.

The end-of-course exam aims to assess the achievement of the teaching objectives:
-know the anatomical and neurophysiological basis of the EEG/EP of patients with a disorder of consciousness 

-ability to recognize the main neurophysiological patterns of comatose patients

The grade is defined on the average of the marks given in the two/three questions. This grade will then be integrated with those of the other two lectures in the integrated course for the final grade

Teaching tools

Videos of clinical cases; EP/EEG tracings of comatose patiets; Power Point slides

A pdf with the powerpoint presentation will be made available to students on VIRTUALE at the end of each class. The pdfs with powerpoint presentations of lectures and recommended texts will be the material to be studied for the end-of-course exam.

Attendance at lecture activities is mandatory; the minimum attendance requirement to be admitted to the final exam is 66 percent of the lectures. For integrated courses (IC), the 66% attendance requirement refers to the total classes of the IC. Students who do not meet the minimum attendance requirement will not be admitted to the final exam for the course and must attend classes again in the following academic year.

Absences may be allowed, upon presentation of appropriate supporting documentation, in case of illness or serious reasons. Excused absences are not counted in the student's attendance record for determining the minimum attendance requirement.

Office hours

See the website of Francesca Bisulli