SEP-EVALUATION OF NOCICEPTIVE PATHWAYS WI TH PAINFUL LASER STIMULI

Laser-evoked potentials are late SEP components that can be elicited b y brief heat stimuli to the skin using an infrared laser. They have be en used clinically in some laboratories for almost ten years. Laser-ev oked potentials have demonstrated a high sensitivity to objectively do cument the presence of dissociated sensory loss that typically does no t alter SEP following electrical nerve stimuli. In spite of the known variability of late evoked potential components, laser-evoked potentia ls are well-suited for clinical application, provided that the study p aradigm is strictly standardized and evaluation criteria are based on intraindividual side-to-side comparisons.