J Korean Neurol Assoc.  1992 Mar;10(1):49-58.

Clinical Manifestations and Multimodality Evoked Potentials in Patients with Definite Multiple Sclerosis

• Heo JH
• Sunwoo IN
• Park KD
• Cho PZ

Abstract

Twenty patients with clinically definite multiple sclerosis were seen at the Department of Neurology, Severance Hospital between 1984 and 1991 and their clinical features ar.d multimodality evoked potential findings were analyzed. We could not find any significant differences in sex ratio, age of onset, and clinical courses from the study results of Japanese and Western groups. However, visual disturbances at the onset and optic-spinal or optic-spinal-brainstem involvements, which are known to be characteristic features of oriental patients, were also noted to be the most common features in our study. Multimodality evoked potential studies were performed and abnorrnal recordings by at least one of the examinations were found in all but one patient. VEP yielded most frequent abnormalities Diagnostic yield of BAEP increased from overall 43% to 83% in cases having brainstem samploms or sings and the increase was much higher than those seen in VEP of SSEP. Increase or increase in latency as occasionall noticed during follow up but majority of patients did not show significant changes in EP {indings. In one patient however. EP abnorrnalities showed improvement in 2 follow up exarninations during 4 years and 7 months despit the evident aggravation in clinical features. Evoked potentials can give valuable information in the diagnosis of multiple scierosis but further studies are necessary to evaluate their usefulness in the follow up examination.

MeSH Terms

Age of Onset
Asian Continental Ancestry Group
Brain Stem
Diagnosis
Evoked Potentials*
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Multiple Sclerosis*
Neurology
Sex Ratio