title: The role of short latency somatosensory evoked responses in infants with rapidly progressive ventricular dilatation.
abstract: The effect of hydrocephalus on somatosensory evoked potentials was studied in nine infants. An increase in N1 latency was found in five infants studied longitudinally during a period of progressive ventricular dilatation. A marked decrease in N1 latency was noted in 7 infants, within one week following shunt insertion and in two infants who showed spontaneous arrest of ventricular growth. A correlation was found between cerebrospinal fluid pressure and the delay in N1 latency, but the number of infants studied is still small. SEPs appear to be a useful additional test when assessing infants with progressive ventricular dilatation. Once a baseline value for N1 has been obtained following shunt insertion, SEPs may subsequently be useful when assessing a child with possible shunt dysfunction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Neurology, Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven.
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: De Vries
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pierrat
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Minami
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Smet
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Casaer
mesh_terms: D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002552:Cerebral Ventricles / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002557:Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunts; D004108:Dilatation, Pathologic / Q000503:physiopathology; D004453:Echoencephalography; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D006849:Hydrocephalus / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007427:Intracranial Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology*; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology