THE EARLY DIAGNOSIS OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS BY MONOCULAR REGISTRATION OF EVOKED NYSTAGMUS

Abstract

It has been shown, that on monocular registration of evoked nystagmus in patients with the cerebral form of multiple sclerosis, latent anterior internuclear ophthalmoplegia is present which appears as a dissociation of provoked nystagmus between the right and the left eye. Nystagmus was induced by rotation at an angular velocity of 100°/sec, lasting for three minutes. Latent anterior internuclear ophthalmoplegia was manifested using this method in 35 patients out of a group of 50 patients suspected of multiple sclerosis. In another 15 patients the evoked nystagmus was abnormal but without symptoms of dissociation. After a follow-up period, lasting for six years the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis was confirmed in 29 out of 35 patients. Six patients did not come for control examination. In the above 15 patients the clinical symptomatology eliminated multiple sclerosis. These results proved that the monocular electronystagmographic registration of evoked nystagmus can reveal latent, early stages of cerebral form of multiple sclerosis. The negative results are important because they exclude damage of the medial longitudinalis fasciculus.