engleski

Visual evoked potentials in patients with whiplash injuries from traffic accidents

We have conducted a study of visual evoked potentials (VEPs) in 30 patients with recent whiplash injury. The VEP recordings were taken from Oz, after stimulation with the pattern reversal of the full-field checkerboard. Latencies (ms) and amplitudes (V) of N70, P100 and N145 were measured. Recordings were made immediately after admission and again three months and one year after the injury. The latencies of P100 and N145 were immediately longer, even more so three months after, while the results after one year showed no significant difference compared to those after three months, suggesting that the damage detected after three months is definitive. Our results suggest that the visual system is also affected by the whiplash injury. The possible mechanisms resulting in the development of neural dysfunction are initially fast, then slow acting, affecting mostly the latencies and producing permanent changes. These characteristics correspond with the demyelination, prolonged vascular insufficiency or both.

visual evoked potential; whiplash injury

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