title: The evaluation of sellar region tumours with pattern visual evoked potentials.
abstract: Pattern visual evoked potentials (PVEPs) were performed on 20 patients with sellar tumours. The aim was to assess the validity of full-field PVEPs combined with a topographic recording in chiasmatic compression. They were abnormal in 95% of the patients, with variable patterns (absent or distorted responses). Our results show that PVEPs are very sensitive in revealing compression on visual pathways and that they correlate with the progression of the tumour. However, they are not reliable in detecting the chiasmatic or retrochiasmatic site of the lesion and relative visual field defect, because of the multidirectional extension of the tumour.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Neurology, University of Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sartucci
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Buonaguidi
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Savigni
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Murri
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual; D005260:Female; D005556:Form Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000503:physiopathology*