CLINICAL RELEVANCE OF SOMATOSENSORY CORTI CAL EVOKED-POTENTIALS IN PATIENTS WITH PARTIAL EPILEPSY

In addition to EEG registration somatosensory cortical evoked potentia ls have been studied in 17 patients with epileptic seizures of focal o rigin. All patients had normal CT and/or NMR scans. Three of 17 patien ts showed a difference in the cortical SEP-response after stimulation of the right and left median nerve. In one of these three patients the EEG showed no focal lesion, in another patient a focal EEG abnormalit y of only doubtful significance was present. Although pathologic findi ngs are rare in patients with normal NMR/CT scan, SEP registration is useful in some patients. As SEP registration ist a non invasive widely available, cheap, and easy-to-perform investigation, SEP should be co nsidered early in the search for an epileptic focus.