Pattern reversal vs. pattern flash stimulated visual evoked potentials in optic neuritis: Do the stimuli matter?
Nasrin Sanjari1 *, Seyed Mohammad Masoud Shoushtarian2 , Kasra Aghamohseni3 , Roham Nik Khah3
- Oculoplastic & Orbit Reconstructive Fellowship, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences
- Biophysicists , Department of Biophysics, Azad University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
- General Practitioner, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences
Abstract: Optical neuritis (ON) is an inflammatory condition of the cranial nerve II (optic nerve) mainly diagnosed according to history and clinical examination. Various paraclinical tests may be used to confirm the diagnosis of ON and differentiate other potential conditions. Visual evoked potential (VEP) test evaluates the visual cortex by triggering it using visual stimuli to help diagnose atypical ON. This study aimed to compare pattern reversal VEP (PRVEP) and flash VEP (FVEP) in patients with ON to help select the appropriate stimulus for the diagnosis of ON.
Methods: This clinical trial involved 80 patients over 18 years with a definite diagnosis of ON and 40 healthy aged and gender-matched controls. All participants underwent standard ophthalmic exams. The patients with ON were randomly assigned to two PRVEP and FVEP groups (40 individuals in each group) based on SPSS-generated random numbers, then underwent VEP tests. VEP components including latency and amplitude were recorded.
Results: PRVEP and FVEP tests revealed significantly lower mean amplitudes and higher mean latencies in ON patients than normal controls (P=0.001). However, PRVEP and FVEP tests were not significantly different regarding the amplitudes and latencies in both ON cases and healthy controls.
Conclusion: Clinicians could use PRVEP and FVEP as valuable tools to help diagnose ON. Considering the importance of good medical history and examination in diagnosing ON, PRVEP and FVEP do not demonstrate remarkable different results.
