Neuropsychological assessment through Coma Recovery Scale-Revised and Coma/Near Coma Scale in a sample of pediatric patients with disorder of consciousness

Background The Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) has become a standard tool in assessing Disorders of consciousness (DoC) in adults. However, its measurement validity in pediatrics has only been ascertained in healthy cases. Increasing use of CRS-R in children with DoC imposes appropriate comparison against previously validated tools. The aims of the study were to describe the emergence to a conscious state (eMCS) in pediatric acquired brain injury (ABI); to explore the agreement between the CRS-R and Coma Near Coma Scale (CNCS) and to discuss the advantage of administering the CRS-R in pediatric age. Materials and methods In this observational prospective study, 40 patients were recruited. Inclusion criteria were age 5 to 18 years, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score <= 8 at the insult, and unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS) or minimally conscious state (MCS) at admission. Patients were assessed with CRS-R, and CNCS was used as standard. Results The agreement between scales was moderate (r = - 0.71). The analysis of the CRS-R domain scores also confirmed that decreasing CNCS levels (from a coma to eMCS) corresponded to concurrent increas of CRS-R scores in all domains. Moreover, CRS-R better defined patients' status in the emergency phase from MCS. Conversely, CRS-R had lower DoC scoring ability in the presence of severe motor impairment. Conclusion We show that CRS-R can track changes in DoC in children as young as 5 years old, and we provide evidence that the agreement with CNCS scores is good.