Delayed Visual Evoked Cortical Potentials in Retinal Disease

Abstract

Flash and pattern visual evoked potentials (VEPs) were recorded in 16 patients with macular disease and in 3 patients with retinitis pigmentosa. Pathological VEP latencies were seen in 14 of the patients with macular lesions and in one with retinitis pigmentosa. Most eyes with a visual acuity below 0.2 showed delayed pattern responses. However, patients with higher visual acuity also had delayed pattern VEPs. It is concluded that an increase in VEP latency is not a specific sign of optic nerve lesion but may also occur in retinal disease, affecting different parts of the sensory retina.

How are macular changes reflected in pattern visually evoked cortical potentials?

“…Lennerstrand (1982) was the first who indicated that an increase of VECP latency is not a specific sign of optic neuritis but that it may occur in retinal disease. He recorded pattern VECPs in patients with various types of macular disease such as Stargardt's disease, cone dystrophy, juvenile retinocschisis, and others that affected both eyes.…”

“…The VECP studies on macular diseases, however, are incomplete. So far, several authors (Lennerstrand 1982;Papakostopoulos et al 1984;Folk et al 1984;Han et al 1985;Celesia & Kaufman 1985;Bass et al 1985;Sherman et al 1986;Johnson et al 1987;Lorenz & Heider 1990;Fujimoto & Adachi-Usami 1991) have reported delays of PI00 latency in patients with macular disease.…”

Visual and Brainstem Auditory Evoked Potentials in Neurology

“…In patients with retinopathies the latency of P100 was found to be prolonged by a mean of 19.6 msec with a range of 6 to 39 msec. Delays in latency that exceeded the limits of normality by more than 45 msec usually indicate optic nerve dysfunction especially in multiple sclerosis (Lennerstrand, 1982).…”

Pattern reversal visual evoked potentials in eyes with macular holes and their fellow eyes

“…It is important to realize that prolonged latencies and a reduced PRVEP amplitude are not specific for maculo- pathy or subclinical alterations of the posterior pole of the eye (Johnson et al 1987;Lennerstrand 1982), but that usually PRVEP examination is indicated for pathology of the more central parts of the optical visual pathway (Bemelmans et al 1995). Two investigations providing additional information about maculopathy in this context are the focal cone ERG and the pattern reversal ERG.…”