[Comparative study of visual evoked potentials and magnetic resonance imaging in multiple sclerosis]

19 patients with clinically definite, probable or possible multiple sclerosis were examined by means of visual evoked potentials and magnetic resonance imaging. The patients were classified in three groups according to the criteria of Mac Alpine. 11 patients had definite multiple sclerosis: 8 of these patients, who had visual disorders evoking an optic neuropathy, had abnormal visual evoked potentials and 7 of these 8 patients had a pathological magnetic resonance imaging. In the other 3 patients of this group without optic neuropathy. 2 of them had abnormal visual evoked potentials and the 3 had a pathological magnetic resonance imaging. Two patients had probable multiple sclerosis, one of them had abnormal visual evoked potentials and a pathological magnetic resonance imaging. Finally, 6 patients had possible multiple sclerosis, one had a optical neuropathy, with abnormal visual evoked potentials but with a normal magnetic resonance imaging. Among the 5 other patients, 2 had abnormal visual evoked potentials and a pathological magnetic resonance imaging. The results obtained in comparison with the other reported in the literature show that magnetic resonance imaging brings a certain number of criteria which when associated with visual evoked potentials seem to be a further development in the diagnosis of the affection. However, despite of the existence of correlations, the lack of specificity of the lesions found with magnetic resonance imaging should lead the clinicians to a cautions optimism.