Evoked potential tests in clinical diagnosis.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Clinical Neurophysiology

Background:

• Evoked potentials (EPs) are crucial for detecting central nervous system conduction disturbances.
• This review focuses on EPs in clinical neurophysiological diagnostics, particularly for coma and demyelinating diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an overview of EP applications in neurological diagnostics.
• To highlight the utility of EPs in coma and demyelinating disease assessment.

Main Methods:

• Literature search of PubMed.
• Authors' extensive experience in neurological and neurophysiological diagnostics.

Main Results:

• Somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) predicts consciousness recovery in coma within 24 hours.
• SEP and brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) assess brainstem pathway damage in coma, aiding rehabilitation planning.
• Visually evoked potential (VEP) can indicate optic neuritis history; SEP and BAEP detect subclinical lesions, supporting multiple sclerosis diagnosis.

Conclusions:

• SEP and BAEP have high clinical value in coma assessment and intraoperative monitoring.
• VEP is vital for diagnosing multiple sclerosis when optic neuritis is suspected.
• Comprehensive EP studies benefit selected patients with suspected demyelinating disease.