Just curious: How many of you had evoked potentials that didn't show anything was wrong?
Many years ago, when the neurologist I was seeing told me that no one develops MS in their teens and that 40 is too old, he did an evoked potentials on my legs and told me that I was fine. A week before I finally got my diagnosis, a different doctor ran the test and told me the same thing. I was in the midst of a major relapse and had multiple active lesions!
I'm just wondering if this is fairly common or if I'm weird. My son is scheduled for one tomorrow, and I'm thinking it's a waste of time.
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NorasMom
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There are several different variations of the test -- vision, hearing, limb movement -- and for whatever reason, they usually only give each of us one of them.
I had a visual evoked potential done at time of diagnosis (I was 45 years old) and it was abnormal in one eye. Not sure if they would bother these days since my MRI had over 10 lesions in the brain as well as cervical and thoracic cord lesions. Also had a lumbar puncture that confirmed the diagnosis. I don't think the new diagnostic criteria requires so much testing to confirm MS.
I do know my PCP originally sent me for nerve conduction testing due to numbness in my feet but after the neuro did a history and physical said it would be a waste of time because it was clear I had a central nerve problem and not a peripheral nerve problem. That is when he ordered the MRI.
from Cleveland Clinic: "Evoked potentials are used to measure the electrical activity in certain areas of the brain and spinal cord. Electrical activity is produced by stimulation of specific sensory nerve pathways. These tests are used in combination with other diagnostic tests to assist in the diagnosis of neurological disorders."
I'm not really familiar with the vision and hearing tests, but they attach electrodes to your head for those and then monitor your behavior. The ones for the limbs are where they basically just stab you repeatedly with a cattle prod and stick needles in your most sensitive areas. I will never go through one again. Both of mine were extremely painful, and the doctors kept telling me that they shouldn't hurt. You also bleed a lot.
I believe I had that done. I was pricked repeatedly for one part (and yes, I bled). Another part was I lay on my side and was shocked so they could see the muscles jump. One part on my lower leg did not react and she kept zapping me over and over to try to get the muscle to react, but it didn't. I, however, was about ready to react, and not in a nice way, if she didn't stop it! Ow!!! But this was just last year and I was diagnosed 8 years ago. I was never told what it was called.
That was definitely it! I wonder why they did it so long after your diagnosis? Were you having new issues at the time with nothing showing up on an MRI? It's my personal opinion that it's an outdated test that serves no purpose but to torture us. I don't know how they make the decision to send someone for one.
mine were always normal, but then i'm stuck in limboland. i do know people have lesions sometimes ages before they show on mri's. since i did have one show in my spine, my neuro told me others are probably there, but the spine is tricky. none of these tests are 100%. when i was first tested for nmo, the accuracy rate was something ridiculous like 45%! i think some of us just have to keep coming back until we find a doctor to help us.
I had the Vision one. It actually made me feel angry with all the flashing checkerboards. My test showed moderate interruption. I had to have 3 tests to prove MS. The others were the MRI which showed 9 active lesions, & a spinal that showed 5 bands. He sent me to an ophthalmologist to make sure I didn't have optic neuritis.
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