Return of EEG activity after electrocerebral silence: two case reports.

Two cases, both children, are described, in which there was a return of the electroencephalogram after a period of electrocerebral silence. One child survived for six weeks. Electroencephalographic technique and instrumentation adequately excluded non-cerebral potentials as a source of confusion in the second case. Hypothermia and drug overdosage, known to reversibly depress the electroencephalogram, were not present in either case. The return of EEG activity was associated with improvement in neurological status. It is concluded that the EEG should always be repeated after electrocerebral silence before the determination of cerebral death, and that the applicability of adult criteria of brain death to children is questionable.