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Delayed evoked potentials in patients with ankylosing spondylitis
The Journal of Rheumatology
|February 1, 1986
Summary
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients frequently show evoked potential abnormalities in visual, auditory, and somatosensory pathways. These findings suggest potential neurological involvement, requiring careful interpretation when considering other conditions like multiple sclerosis.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Rheumatology
- Neurophysiology
Background:
- Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease primarily affecting the axial skeleton.
- Neurological complications in AS are not well-understood, but may involve central or peripheral nervous system dysfunction.
- Evoked potentials (EPs) are electrophysiological tests used to assess the integrity of sensory pathways in the nervous system.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence and patterns of neurological involvement in patients with ankylosing spondylitis using evoked potential testing.
- To assess visual, brainstem auditory, and somatosensory evoked potentials in a cohort of AS patients.
- To explore potential correlations between EP abnormalities and disease characteristics in AS.
Main Methods:
- Thirty patients diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis underwent electrophysiological testing.
- Visual evoked potentials (VEPs), brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs), and somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) were recorded.
- Data analysis focused on identifying abnormalities in waveform latency and amplitude across the different EP modalities.
Main Results:
- Abnormalities were detected in a significant proportion of AS patients: 60% for VEPs, 63% for SSEPs, and 30% for BAEPs.
- The specific patterns and locations of EP abnormalities varied among affected individuals.
- The underlying pathophysiology for these evoked potential alterations in AS remains undetermined.
Conclusions:
- Evoked potential testing reveals a high frequency of subclinical neurological pathway dysfunction in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.
- These findings highlight the potential for widespread neurological involvement in AS, extending beyond the musculoskeletal system.
- Caution is advised when interpreting evoked potential results in AS patients, particularly when considering differential diagnoses such as multiple sclerosis, due to potential overlapping findings.