Table 2.
Studies reporting misdiagnosis of UWS.
| References | Method | Number of patients | Number of patients misdiagnosed | % of misdiagnosis | Etiology | Initial diagnosis | Correct diagnosis | Duration of the misdiagnosis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tresch et al. 11 | Clinical consensus vs. Author's examination | 62 | 11 | 18% | NA | UWS | MCS | Chronic (>1 year) |
| Childs et al. 12 | Clinical consensus vs. Author's examination | 49 | 18 | 37% | 14 TBI 4 NTBI |
UWS | MCS | 1–3 days |
| Andrews et al. 13 | Clinical consensus vs. RLA 14 | 40 | 17 | 42% | 10 TBI 7 NTBI |
UWS | 15 MCS 2 EMCS | Range 2–175 days |
| Tavalaro and Tayson 15 | Clinical consensus vs. Family and nurses impression | 1 | 1 | NA | Stroke | UWS | LIS | 6 years |
| Gill-Thwaites and Munday 16 | Clinical consensus vs. SMART 17 | 60 | 27 | 45% | 21 TBI 39 NTBI |
UWS | “Higher level of functioning than VS” | Within 4 months |
| Schnakers et al. 5 | Clinical consensus vs. CRS-R | 44 | 18 | 41% | 39 TBI 64 NTBI |
UWS | MCS | NA |
| Lukowicz et al. 18 | Clinical consensus vs. Family impression | 1 | 1 | NA | Brain tumor | “Unconscious terminal stage” | LIS | 16 years |
| Stender et al. 19 | Clinical consensus vs. CRS-R | 51 | 18 | 35% | TBI and NTBI | UWS | MCS | Mean duration of UWS: 2 years and 3 months |
| Sattin et al. 20 | Experience rater CRS-R vs. CRS-R with person responsible of patients | 92 | 15 | 16% | 25 TBI 67 NTBI |
UWS | MCS | Mean duration of UWS: 2 years and 6 months |
| van Erp et al. 21 | Clinical consensus vs. CRS-R | 41 | 17 | 41% | TBI and NTBI | UWS | MCS | Mean duration of UWS: 5 years |
| Cortese et al. 22 | Morning CRS-R vs. Afternoon CRS-R | 7 | 2 | 30% | 2 TBI 5 NTBI |
UWS | MCS | 1.8–6.2 years |
| Wannez et al. 6 | 1 CRS-R vs. 5 CRS-R | 62 | 22 | 35% | TBI and NTBI | UWS | MCS | Mean time since injury 4 years |
UWS, unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (vegetative state—VS); MCS, minimally conscious state; EMCS, emergence of minimally conscious state; LIS, locked-in syndrome; TBI, traumatic brain injury; NTBI, non-traumatic brain injury; NA, non applicable.