MRI and EEG accurately classify favorable prognosis for patients with postanoxic myoclonus: Paradigm shift

Most patients with postanoxic myoclonus (PAM) have poor outcomes; consequently, prognostication studies have largely focused on identifying patients with little chance of recovery.1 Recent studies, however, show that about 9% of patients with PAM have favorable outcomes.2 Until now, there have been limited clinical methods to identify these patients.3,4 A major difficulty is that many of the treatments used to treat hypoxic-ischemic coma, such as therapeutic hypothermia and antiseizure treatment, may interfere with patients' neurophysiologic tests and clinical evaluations.5,7