Multimodality evoked potentials in sarcoidosis.

Abstract

Neurosarcoidosis is suspected on clinical grounds and then confirmed by radiography, by spinal fluid examination, or by biopsy. To determine whether evoked potential testing may also be of value in diagnosing and following the course of neurosarcoidosis, multimodality evoked potentials were obtained in 12 men with sarcoidosis, including two with neurosarcoidosis. Seven of 12 subjects, one of whom had neurosarcoidosis, manifested abnormal evoked potentials. Visual evoked potentials were abnormal in one patient and somatosensory evoked potentials were abnormal in one patient. Five additional patients, including one with neurosarcoidosis, had abnormal auditory evoked potentials suggestive of auditory nerve or low pons involvement. These data indicate that multimodality evoked potentials, especially auditory potentials, may show central nervous system involvement in patients with sarcoidosis in the absence of clinically apparent disease.