Diagnostic value of somatosensory evoked potentials as compared to neurological score, EEG and CT in infancy--a...

The present investigation was performed to check, whether additional Med-SEP (somatosensory evoked potentials after stimulation of the median nerve) registration is necessary in the clinical and laboratory work-up in neurologically abnormal infants. For this purpose 28 infants suspected to develop cerebral palsy underwent neurological, neurophysiological and radiological examination at the age of 1 to 10 months. They were prospectively followed-up to their second year of life. On follow-up examination 22 of them showed a pathological development. 12 of them developed cerebral palsy, 7 were moderately to severely retarded, one died of Leigh's disease, one developed Pelizäus Merzbacher disease, and one suffered from Lesch-Nyhan syndrome. Comparison of the findings in infancy and development led to the following conclusion: Med-SEP registration is a valuable contribution in the clinical diagnostic work-up of neurologically abnormal infants. Among 22 children developing neurodevelopmental sequelae there were 2 showing a relatively low neurological score in infancy, 5 having normal EEG records and 4 with normal CT findings, but who could have been identified by Med-SEP alterations alone yet in infancy.