Practical approach to electroencephalography

Abstract

Tracé alternant should not be invariant. In fact, any pattern that cycles on and off should not be labeled burst-suppression, which is typically a monotonously persistent pattern. Tracé discontinu can be more diffi cult to distinguish from burst-suppression in very preterm infants. The diagnosis of burst-suppression in this conceptional age group should only be made with hesitation and should be confi rmed by serial recordings. So-called “permanently discontinuous” patterns probably represent a variant of burst-suppression.