Absence and reappearance of N20 response after thiopental withdrawal in postanoxic comaAuthors Respond

I read with interest the case report by Coppo et al.1 After coma was induced in the patient by high-dose barbiturate (thiopental) administration to combat refractory nonconvulsive status epilepticus, median nerve somatosensory evoked potential (SSEP) N20 responses elicited from the primary somatosensory cortex were bilaterally absent but responses from brainstem-cervical components were present. Continuous EEG recording at that time showed an isoelectric pattern. N20 responses reappeared after the barbiturate was …