Comparative study of evoked potentials in multiple sclerosis and neuro-Behçet's syndrome

We studied somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) and brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) in Japanese patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and those with neuro-Behcet's disease (NB). Abnormal cortical P37 of posterior tibial nerve SEPs or cervical N13 of median nerve SEPs were more frequently found in the MS patients than in the NB patients. On the other hand, prolongation of the central conduction time of median nerve SEPs or abnormal BAEPs were more common in NB than in MS. The present data showed that lesions were mainly present in the spinal cord in MS and in the brainstem in NB. SEPs and BAEPs were considered of great value for detecting the involvement of the central nervous system in MS and NB and distinguishing between these diseases.