What tests are done to determine brain death?

A patient properly determined to be brain dead is legally and clinically dead. The diagnosis of brain death is primarily clinical. No other tests are required if the full clinical examination, including an assessment of brain stem reflexes and an apnea test, is conclusively performed.

What cranial nerve is tested in brain death?

(“hollow skull phenomenon”). Somatosensory evoked potentials: Brain death confirmed by bilateral absence of N20-P22 response with median nerve stimulation.

Can you see brain death on MRI?

MRI /MRA is not yet accepted as an ancillary test for establishing brain death. However, recent studies have shown that tonsillar herniation, loss of T2 flow void in intracranial vessels, and nonvisualisation of IC vessels in TOF MRA may be useful indicators of brain death.

Does an EEG confirm brain death?

Electroencephalogram (EEG) is often used in the confirmatory test for brain death diagnosis in clinical practice.

How are calories tested for brain death?

To test the oculovestibular reflex, use the ice water caloric test: Instill iced water or saline into an intact ear canal. Normally, the eyes turn toward the irrigated ear. An absolute lack of ocular movement for these two tests indicates that the brain stem is no longer functioning.

Can a CT scan detect brain death?

Computed tomography (CT) was introduced in 1970, since then it has revolutionized the assessment of head injuries including brain death [9]. It is fast, readily available, and requires no contrast medium. It is a standard imaging test for the patients admitted in the hospital because of brain injuries.

What does brain death look like on MRI?

MR findings in a case of brain dead patient are usually diffuse swelling of the cerebral gyri and cerebellar cortex, demonstrating iso-hypointense signals on T1WI, getting iso-hyperintense on T2 WI suggestive of hypoxic-ischemic brain injury, with associated tonsillar herniation, effacement of bilateral lateral …

What does EEG look like in brain death?

The EEG measures brain voltage in microvolts. It is so sensitive that the static electricity in a person’s clothes will give a squiggle on the EEG (a false positive). All positive responses suggest brain function. The patient in the deepest coma will show some EEG electroactivity, while the brain-dead patient will not.