Late Improvement in Consciousness after Post-Traumatic Vegetative State

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Abstract
The vegetative state is a cognitively unresponsive state in which the patient's eyes are open.1 The diagnosis is made clinically in patients who are awake but have no behavioral evidence of awareness of self or the environment. The absence of communication, response to commands, behavioral response to stimulation, and intentional movement confirms the lack of awareness.2-5 The vegetative state is considered persistent if it lasts longer than 1 month after the injury,5,6 and permanent if it lasts for 12 months, since improvement after this time is extremely rare.4,6,7 We report a case of emergence from a permanent vegetative state.