O101 Evoked potentials in multiple sclerosis – Still a useful tool?

Abstract

In the early diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) the evoked potentials (EP) have been in the recent decades displaced by magnetic resonance imaging, which is reflected in their marginal position in the current McDonald’s diagnostic criteria. However, the parameters of EP were demonstrated to correspond well with clinical symptoms of MS and the degree of disability. Thus they have been used as measures of the disease progression, in monitoring of the MS natural course as well as effectiveness of disease-modifying drugs. There is also some evidence of the prognostic value of EP, performed at the early stage of the disease, with regard to subsequent relapses and a long-term disability accumulation. The advanced techniques of stimulation and collective analysis of multimodal EP further increase their sensitivity and specificity in revealing the dysfunction of the central nervous system pathways. Overall, EP have remained useful electrophysiological biomarkers of the degree and dynamics of neurological deficit in the course of MS. The integration of EP with neuroimaging and clinical issues may also provide a better insight into pathological processes underlying the disease.