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Vertical conjugate eye deviation in postresuscitation coma.

Johkura K, Komiyama A, Kuroiwa Y

Department of Neurology, Hiratsuka Kyosai Hospital, Hiratsuka, Yokohama, Japan. jokura-k@kkr.hiratsuke.kanagawa.jp

Vertical eye deviation in hypoxic coma is considered to be rare. In contrast, we found that in a consecutive series of 50 postresuscitation comatose patients, 28 (56.0%) developed tonic upward or downward eye deviation. We suggest that both the upward and the downward deviations resulted from diffuse cerebrocerebellar damage sparing the brainstem. Upward deviation is an early sign, whereas downward deviation appears later and generally implies a transition to the vegetative state.

Published 30 November 2004 in Ann Neurol, 56(6): 878-81.
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