Ssep
 

Last week i had an SSEP (somatosensory evoked potentials) because my legs have locked up on me several times and i have been unable to continue to walk. anyway i took the test and just got a call today that the test was unreadable both arms and legs. ive had numerous emg/ncs's and was not in the least nervous about doing the evoked potentials. so now they want me to do it again. anyone else done the evoked potentials? have any problems with backround noise on them?

I had them done--
 

-- a full round (visual, auditory, somatosensory) very early in my original course back in 2003, they all came up within normal ranges.

My understanding is that these are used more to look for sensory transmission problems at the level of the brain and spinal cord than in the peripheral nerves; they are sometimes awry in people with MS, ADEM, B12 deficiency, etc.

What exactly did they mean by "background noise"?

i have three herniated cervical disks so apparantly i wasnt able to relax the neck muscles sufficiently and they were emitting electrical signals during the wrist stimulation part of the test . I have asthma and i get short of breath if i have to lay on my back and breath lightly for an extended period of time so maybe that tensed up my neck also. i dont know why the ankles part of the test didnt come out clearly i couldnt even feel the signal in my right foot and barely in my left ankle and only after the power had been cranked way up and the neck muscles didnt figure into this part of the test. i wasnt apprehensive about the test at all, after having numerous emg/ncs's and felt i was pretty relaxed overall so i dont know what they will do differently but im having a different tech doing the next one so maybe that was the problem.

i also had blood tests done and several of the muscle enzyme tests came back high but not high enough for concern accrording to both neurologist and rheumotologist but i have to redo that in October.