Persistent vegetative state with high cerebral blood flow following profound hypoglycemia.

A persistent vegetative state (severe dementia) developed in a 30-year-old man following hypoglycemic coma. Despite the poor clinical outcome, sensory evoked response recovered between 6 and 34 months after the insult. The cerebral blood flow level at rest after 34 months was slightly above the normal range. This finding contrasts with the low cerebral blood flow regularly reported in patients who are comatose or stuporous following severe brain hypoxia-ischemia.