Value of neuron-specific enolase to assessing cerebral injury in children with toxic encephalopathy

Objective To explore the value of neuron-specific enolase(NSE)to assessing cerebral injury in children with toxic encephalopathy.Methods Seventy patients with toxic encephalopathy(TE group)were divided into mild,moderate and severe TE groups according to the degree of cerebral injury,and another 30 inpatients with no nervous system disease were controls(control group).The levels of serum NSE were detected and compared immediately after admission,and on the 3rd,5th,7th and 14 th day after treatment among groups.Results The serum NSE levels were(13.8±0.6),(24.8±0.4)and(37.9±0.4)μg/L in mild,moderate and severe TE groups at admission,significantly higher than that in control group(6.0±0.5)μg/L(P0.05),and declined along with the time of treatment,showing a significant difference in comparison with that at admission(P0.05).The serum NSE levels measured at all time points were the highest in severe TE group,followed by moderate and mild TE groups(P0.05).Conclusion The change of serum NSE level and its lasting time are correlated with the severity of cerebral injury in children with toxic encephalopathy.