Clinical application of visual evoked potentials in child neurology

Visual Evoked Potentials (VEPs) during 3 different modes of stimulation (pattern reversal flash and goggle-mounted light emitting diodes (LEDs)) were investigated in 100 healthy children and adolescents 1-18 years old with normal vision and without signs of visual system abnormalities. VEPs were performed separately for binocular/monocular stimulation and recorded from O1-Fz,O2-Fz. The latencies of N2,P2,N3 as well as the amplitudes N2/P2,P2/N3 were measured. Normative data for these parameters with interocular and hemispheric differences under various kinds of simulations were reported. The W-form was predominant under LED stimulus. The pattern reversal stimulation showed significant longer latencies of P2,N2 parameters in comparison to flash and LED stimulations in the same age matched groups. The maturations of visual system examined by LED VEP were observed until the age of 10 years. The hemispheric differences had the same values under 3 different stimulus configurations. The obtain results are useful for the evaluation of the maturation of visual system in children and adolescents and also needed in interpretation of abnormal VEP results.