Minimally
conscious state is distinguished from vegetative state by the partial
preservation of conscious awareness.
- Some
patients with severe alteration in consciousness have neurological findings
that do not meet criteria for vegetative state (VS).
- These
patients demonstrate some behavioral evidence of conscious awareness but
remain unable to reproduce this behavior consistently the condition
referred here as the minimally conscious state (MCS).
- To make
the diagnosis of MCS, limited but clearly discernible evidence of self or
environmental awareness must be demonstrated on a reproducible or
sustained basis by one or more of behaviors like verbal yes/no responses
regardless of accuracy, purposeful behavior, including movements or
emotional behaviors that occur in relation to relevant environmental
stimuli and are not due to reflexive activity.
- Some
examples of qualifying purposeful behavior include: appropriate smiling or
crying in response to the emotional but not to neutral topics,
vocalizations or gestures that occur in direct response to the linguistic
content, reaching for objects.
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