Short-latency somatosensory evoked potentials correlate with the severity of the neurological deficit and sensory abnormalities following cerebral ischemia.
Short-latency somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) were studied in 49 patients who had suffered hemispheric or thalamic ischemia, including 6 patients with transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) and 3 patients with reversible ischemic neurological deficits (RINDs). SSEPs were abnormal in 30 patients (61%). SSEP abnormalities correlated with the presence of sensory deficit and the degree of neurological deficit. SSEPs were normal following TIA but were abnormal in 2 of 3 patients with RINDs. SSEPs were abnormal in some patients without sensory deficits suggesting that sensory pathways may be affected when clinically inapparent.
D000328:Adult; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008475:Median Nerve / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012677:Sensation / Q000502:physiology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed