Changes in the VEP,SEP and BAEP in patients with myasthenis gravis

Objective:To study the changes of pattern reversal visual evoked potential(VEP) ,soma-tosensory evoked potential(SEP) and brainstem auditory evoked potential(BAEP) in patients with myas-thenia gravis(MG). Methods: VEP, SEP and BAEP were recorded in 20 patients with MG and 50 normal controls included. Results: As compared with the normal group, VEP,SEP and BAEP were abnormal unilaterally or bilaterally in the patients. The prolongation of the latency and the decrease of the amplitude of VEP P100 were found in 5 patients bilaterally and 1 patients unilaterally. The prolongation of latency and the decrease of the amplitude of SEP N13-N20 were found in 3 patients bilaterally and 1 patient unilaterally. The prolongation of interpeak latency and the decrease of the amplitude of BAEP Ⅰ-Ⅴ and Ⅲ-Ⅴ were found in 7 patients bilaterally and 2 patients unilaterally. Conclusions:There were significant changes of VEP,SEP and BAEP in some patients with MG. The results indicate that VEP,SEP and BAEP were valuable in investigating the possibility of impaired cholinergic transmission in the central nervous system (CNS)of patients with MG,suggesting damages of the CNS in visual,somatosensory and auditory pathways of some patients with MG to difficult extent.