EVOKED-POTENTIALS IN GUILLAIN-BARRE-SYNDROME

A prospective evaluation was made in a total of 19 patients with Guill ain-Barre syndrome (GBS) by neurologic examination, visual evoked pote ntials (VEP), brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) and somatose nsory evoked potentials (SEP) during the acute phase of the disease, t hree weeks later, and then again three months after the onset of sympt oms. The results of electrophysiologic studies of the patients were co mpared with those of 19 healthy children. There were no statistically significant differences found in the mean VEP and BAEP values between the patient and control groups. However, the VEP and BAEP values were abnormal during the first and second stages of the disease in only a f ew patients. There was a statistically significant prolongation of the response in tibial and median SEP during the first and second stages of the disease when compared with the third stage and the control grou p. The Erb-Cervical 7 (C7) interwave latency was elevated in the media n SEP. it was concluded that the prolongation of the response in SEP w as diagnostically important in the acute phase of GBS. There was no co rrelation found between SEP and clinical progression.