Monitoring therapeutic efficacy of decompressive craniotomy in space occupying cerebellar infarcts using brain-stem auditory evoked potentials.

Brain-stem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) have been used to gauge effects of brain-stem dysfunction in humans and animal models. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of BAEP in monitoring patients undergoing decompressive surgery of the posterior fossa for space occupying cerebellar infarcts. We report on serial BAEP recordings in 11 comatose patients with space occupying cerebellar infarcts undergoing decompressive craniotomy. BAEP studies were performed within 12 h after admission, 24 h following surgery and prior to extubation. BAEP signals were analyzed using latency determination and cross-correlation. Following surgery, 9 patients regained consciousness; 2 patients persisted in a comatose state and died subsequently. BAEP interpeak latency (IPL) I-V assessed prior to surgery exceeded normal values in all patients in whom it could be reliably measured (N = 9). Following decompressive surgery BAEP wave I-V IPL normalized in 5 patients, but remained prolonged despite dramatic clinical improvement in 4 patients. We prospectively computed the coefficient of cross-correlation (MCC) of combined ipsilateral BAEP trials after right and left ear stimulation. In all patients increasing MCC was associated with clinical improvement. Unchanging or decreasing MCC indicated poor outcome. We conclude that serial BAEP studies are an appropriate perioperative monitoring modality in patients with space occupying cerebellar infarcts undergoing decompressive surgery of the posterior fossa. Our study suggests advantages of cross-correlation analysis as an objective signal processing strategy; relevant information can be extracted even if BAEP wave discrimination is impossible due to severe brain-stem dysfunction.