Periodic EEG discharges and status spongiosus of the cerebral cortex in anoxic encephalopathy: a necropsy case report.

A periodic EEG pattern very similar to the changes in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease was seen in a case of anoxic encephalopathy. Necropsy revealed status spongiosus of the cerebral cortex. Generalised repetitive sharp transients in anoxic encephalopathy occur when the patient is comatose and carry a poor prognosis. They are not specific for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.