A comparison of visual, brainstem auditory, and somatosensory evoked potentials in multiple sclerosis

Multimodality evoked potentials testing including PVEPs, SEPs and BAEPs was done in 112 patients who were known or suspected to have multiple sclerosis. The incidence of abnormal evoked potential findings in each of these systems was considered in patients in the different diagnostic categories of M.S. Results were also evaluated with respect to the presence of abnormal clinical visual, somatosensory, or brainstem signs. The PVEP was found to be the most frequently abnormal in even patients without clinical involvement in the visual system (45% of patients with definite, probable, or possible M.S.), the SEP was less frequently abnormal in the absence of clinical signs (35% in patients with M.S.), and the BAEP showed the lowest frequency of abnormalities in patients without brainstem signs (14% in patients with M.S.). Combining the three types of evoked potentials significantly increased the percentage of M.S. patients having abnormal findings, compared to any of these tests alone, with 97% of "definite" M.S. patients, 86% of "probable" M.S. patients and 63% of "possible" M.S. patients having at least one of these EP tests abnormal.