Auditory evoked potentials test battery related to magnetic resonance imaging for multiple sclerosis patients

The results of the recording of the Auditory Brainstem Responses (ABR) in 32 patient with "definite" multiple sclerosis (MS) according to Poser et al. (1983) were contrasted with the brain stem anatomic lesions evidenced by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and with the neurologic signs and symptoms found at clinical examination (BS). Twenty-one patients showed ABR abnormalities (65.5%); in 15 cases MRI visualized demyelinization plaques in the brain stem (46.8%); 12 patients had neurological signs of brain stem involvement (37.5%) at the time of the electrophysiological and radiological assessment. When the observation was restricted to the group of 21 patients with past or present BS neurological signs, ABR sensitivity resulted 81% (17/21), while MRI obtained a value of 57% (12/21).