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Segmentally specific somatosensory evoked potentials.

¹Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco.

Neurologic Clinics

|August 1, 1991

Summary

Recording segmentally specific somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) is time-consuming and often clinically unhelpful. This review critically evaluates the utility of SEPs for spinal cord and nerve root disorders.

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Recommendations for the clinical use of somatosensory-evoked potentials.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Clinical Electrophysiology

Background:

Somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) assess the integrity of the sensory nervous system.
Segmentally specific SEPs aim to localize neurological lesions within the spinal cord or nerve roots.
Previous clinical application of segmentally specific SEPs has yielded limited diagnostic value.

Purpose of the Study:

To critically evaluate the clinical utility and diagnostic role of segmentally specific SEPs.
To assess the effectiveness of SEPs in patients with spinal cord and nerve root disorders.
To determine if the time investment in recording SEPs is justified by their clinical findings.

Main Methods:

Critical review of existing literature on segmentally specific SEPs.
Analysis of studies reporting the use of SEPs in spinal cord and nerve root pathologies.
Evaluation of the diagnostic accuracy and clinical impact of SEP findings.

Main Results:

The recording process for segmentally specific SEPs is lengthy and resource-intensive.
Clinical findings from SEPs have historically been of limited help in patient diagnosis and management.
The diagnostic yield of SEPs in spinal cord and nerve root disorders is often insufficient to warrant the time and effort.

Conclusions:

Segmentally specific SEPs may not be a cost-effective or clinically useful diagnostic tool for spinal cord and nerve root disorders.
Further research is needed to determine if modifications can improve the clinical utility of SEPs.
Alternative neurophysiological methods might offer greater diagnostic value for these conditions.

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