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Visual Evoked Potential Recording in a Rat Model of Experimental Optic Nerve Demyelination
Published on: July 29, 2015
High sensitivity of contact-heat evoked potentials in "snake-eye" appearance myelopathy
1Spinal Cord Injury Center, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
Objective:
To evaluate the sensitivity of dermatomal contact-heat evoked potentials (dCHEPs) compared to dermatomal somatosensory evoked potentials (dSSEPs) and clinical sensory testing in patients with focal central cord myelopathy, referred to as "snake-eye" appearance myelopathy (SEAM).
Methods:
33 patients with SEAM in neuroimaging underwent electrophysiological (dCHEPs, dSSEPs) and clinical testing of sensory function (light touch [LT] and pin prick [PP]) at segments above, at and below to the spinal cord lesion.
Results:
In total, 151 dermatomes were tested (39 above, 112 at/below lesion). The sensitivity of dCHEPs (97.0%) was significantly higher compared to dSSEPs (23.3%, p<0.001), PP (66.7%, p=0.003) and LT (69.7%, p=0.006), respectively. The sensitivity of dCHEPs was highest when applied one to two segments caudally to the level of spinal cord lesion in MRI.
Conclusions:
dCHEPs are highly sensitive and superior to dSSEPs and clinical sensory testing in the diagnosis of SEAM.
Significance:
dCHEPs may complement the diagnosis in focal central cord myelopathies where clinical testing of sensory function and dSSEPs are less sensitive to provide conclusive findings.
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