Evoked potentials and brain stem reflexes

Abstract

The recording of evoked potentials (EPs) has become one of the most useful functional diagnostic techniques in the neurosciences during recent years. In combination with the neurophysiological investigation of brain stem reflexes (BSRs) EPs provide good information concerning circumscribed and diffuse brain and brain stem lesions. In this article the role of EPs and BSRs will be pointed out with special regard to their use in neurosurgery concerning awake and comatose patients as well. Pathological findings caused by extracerebral factors or due to neurological (systemic) and otological diseases will be discussed from the aspect of differential diagnosis only. Evoked potentials described in this paper are short latency potentials which are related to more or less defined generators in the peripheral and central nervous system. EPs of long latency seem to play a role in cognitive, affective and integrative functions of the central nervous system and they will not be dealt with in this article. In recent years an increasing number of review articles and monographs dealing with several aspects of evoked potentials has appeared [16, 17, 18, 25, 69, 80, 84, 122, 123, 124, 127, 130].

Longer Auditory and Visual P300 Latencies in Patients with Narcolepsy

“…Evoked potential recording has become a very useful functional diagnostic technique in the neurosciences. 1,2 Latency prolongations can be objective evidence of clinical or subclinical disease. Short latency potentials like brain stem responses are useful in studying fairly well defined generators in the peripheral nervous system and the proximal central nervous system.…”

The future role of neurosurgery in the case of vascular diseases of the central nervous system

“…Microsurgical technique and intraoperative monitoring of SEP are the essential factors which improve the results and lower the morbidity [78]. Clamping of the carotid artery produces some typical decrease of the amplitude and latency.…”

“…It will become better adapted to the individual needs of the patient, i.e. his age, accompanying diseases, special intracranial situation, arterial hypotension or hypothermia [78]. Hemodynamic neutral anesthetic techniques such as neuroleptanalgesia [32,33,78] combined with decrease of intracranial pressure and with intact autoregulation and controlled arterial hypotension are generally accepted.…”

“…his age, accompanying diseases, special intracranial situation, arterial hypotension or hypothermia [78]. Hemodynamic neutral anesthetic techniques such as neuroleptanalgesia [32,33,78] combined with decrease of intracranial pressure and with intact autoregulation and controlled arterial hypotension are generally accepted. The combination of beta-blocking agents and calcium antagonists in the hands of our anesthesists, proved to be a very effective method of inhibiting the cardiac regulatory response to hypotension and of providing stable and economic decrease of arterial pressure to the desired level.…”

“…monitoring of AEP in posterior fossa lesions (Figure 15b) can certainly improve the outcome of surgery [78].…”