engleski

Multimodal Evoked Potentials in early Relapsing- Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS)

Evoked potential (EPs) have been widely used for years to detect and follow central nervous system demyelinating lesions in Multiple Sclerosis patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate visual evoked potentials (VEPs), tibial nerve somatosensory evoked potentials (tSEPs), median nerve somatosensory evoked potentials (mSEPs) and brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) in early RRMS diagnosed according to McDonald´s criteria. Thirty patients with RRMS, 22 women and 8 men, 19-52 years of age (mean age: 35.9y), with disease duration 8-36 months (mean duration: 22 months), and an EDSS score 3.0 and less were selected. The evoked potentials were conducted using standard methods of recording. Reliable criteria for determining pathological conductivity of the sensory pathways were prolongation of latency or interlatency of evoked responses for more than 3 standard deviations (SD) and asymmetry of latencies and interlatencies more than 3 SD. The absence of spinal and cortical potentials, along with the clearly defined neural potential during mSEPs and tSEPs are considered to be of pathological origin. Significant absolute and interwave latencies (I-V & III-V), side asymmetries in latency, interwave latency, amplitude, shape and absence waves II, III, IV/V, with clearly defined wave I of BEAP were also consired pathological. Our results showed that tSEPs were abnormal in 80%, VEPs in 76%, mSEPs in 33% and BAEPs in 23, 5% of RRMS patients. Abnormal EPs in one modal were found in 30% of patients, 26, 6% in two modals, 30% in three modals, 10% in four modals. Normal EPs in all four modals were found in 3, 3% of patients. These results indicate that tSEPs and VEPs have the highest sensitivity in early RRMS.

Multiple sclerosis ; evoked potentials

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