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SSER TEST
Hello,
I just had an SSER test on my legs and was wondering if anybody has had one that confimed or led to suspision of MS? Also, any ideas as to what the waves on the screen are suppoed to look like when the test is being conducted? The reason i was sent for the test in because I have unilateral ankle clonus and mild sensory differential. Take care
I just had an SSER test on my legs and was wondering if anybody has had one that confimed or led to suspision of MS? Also, any ideas as to what the waves on the screen are suppoed to look like when the test is being conducted? The reason i was sent for the test in because I have unilateral ankle clonus and mild sensory differential. Take care
Glad to be of help. I realize I actually left off the part at the top that says why they did the test, which was to evaluate for demyelination (which would include MS) and myelopathy (which apparently is a term "used to describe any neurological deficit related to the spinal cord itself. Most frequently, myelopathy is due to compression of the spinal cord..."--http://tinyurl.com/36lcu7). I don't know what else the SSEP might be used for, but as I understand it the test only tells if there's a slowing of signal conduction in the central nervous system and doesn't say anything about what might be causing that slowness so I think all it can say is that there IS some sort of abnormality.
I don't think SSEP is usually where they start if they think you have MS. I'd think they start with an MRI (don't know if you've had any).
Peripheral neuropathy is a problem with the peripheral nerves (all the ones outside the brain and spinal cord that go to the different parts of the body and have motor, sensory, and autonomic functions). It is not really one thing and there are lots of causes. The most common cause in the U.S. is diabetes, but there are lots of others, including genetic disorders, heavy metal poisoning, autoimmune problems, some drugs, vitamin B12 deficiency, leprosy, etc. If they can't figure it out, they just say idiopathic, which is what they told me. They seem to usually start with an EMG and nerve conduction test if they think you have peripheral neuropathy (although not all peripheral neuropathies show up on those tests).
Some of the symptoms of MS can be like those of peripheral neuropathy, e.g., neuropathic pain, burning, numbness, other weird sensations. However, MS only affects the central nervous system, not the peripheral nerves, so the cause of the problems is different and the SSEP showed that my problems were caused by the central nervous system (I guess you can have both problems, but the neuro seemed sure that I had no peripheral neuropathy as soon as the SSEP was abnormal).
There is some more info at http://tinyurl.com/5jfhm if you're interested.
Did your doctor tell you why they did the SSEP?
I don't think SSEP is usually where they start if they think you have MS. I'd think they start with an MRI (don't know if you've had any).
Peripheral neuropathy is a problem with the peripheral nerves (all the ones outside the brain and spinal cord that go to the different parts of the body and have motor, sensory, and autonomic functions). It is not really one thing and there are lots of causes. The most common cause in the U.S. is diabetes, but there are lots of others, including genetic disorders, heavy metal poisoning, autoimmune problems, some drugs, vitamin B12 deficiency, leprosy, etc. If they can't figure it out, they just say idiopathic, which is what they told me. They seem to usually start with an EMG and nerve conduction test if they think you have peripheral neuropathy (although not all peripheral neuropathies show up on those tests).
Some of the symptoms of MS can be like those of peripheral neuropathy, e.g., neuropathic pain, burning, numbness, other weird sensations. However, MS only affects the central nervous system, not the peripheral nerves, so the cause of the problems is different and the SSEP showed that my problems were caused by the central nervous system (I guess you can have both problems, but the neuro seemed sure that I had no peripheral neuropathy as soon as the SSEP was abnormal).
There is some more info at http://tinyurl.com/5jfhm if you're interested.
Did your doctor tell you why they did the SSEP?
Thank you for the detailed answer! I gathered from your response that this test is used to detect MS. What else could this test help detect? Also, you siad that your doctors thought you had peripheral neuropathy, what is that? Is it similar to MS?
Take Care
Take Care
If you are talking about an SSEP, I just got a copy of my results from my doctor yesterday and it has some explanations that are not quite in plain English, but that might be helpful.
Somatosensory evoked potential:
"SEPs are used to assess the functioning of the central and proximal portions of sensory pathways. They are obtained from pericutaneous electrical stimulation of the median nerve at the wrist or the posterior tibial nerve at the medial malleolus [ankle]. The ulnar, radial, peroneal, and other nerves can be tested. Lumbar electrodes may be used in addition to scalp electrodes for lower extremity stimulation."
Under the impression section, it says the results are abnormal because "the normal peripheral responses coupled with the increased central conduction time for the median responses and absent scalp (P40) responses with tibial stimulation suggest a lesion or lesions in the median and tibial somatosensory pathways from the level of the spinal cord to the cortex."
Anyway, what I understood when they did this test is that they measure the time it took the signal to reach from the ankle (for example) to the central nervous system (spinal cord) and then to the brain and that they could tell if the central nervous system was conducting signals slowly (which apparently mine is).
I don't know about the waves. I couldn't see what they were looking at. I do know that they knew that mine was abnormal while they were doing it (they told me) so it must have been obvious.
I had been told for years that I had peripheral neuropathy and this was the first test where the central nervous system and MS came up and it was really the one that put me on a path to diagnosis. At the time, I was elated to have a positive test result (sounds silly, but I think a lot of you know what I mean), but also in a bit of shock because I had not really absorbed the implications of what they were testing for and the central nervous system sounded much worse than the peripheral.
Hope that helps if you are talking about SSEP and sorry for running on if this isn't what you needed to know.
Somatosensory evoked potential:
"SEPs are used to assess the functioning of the central and proximal portions of sensory pathways. They are obtained from pericutaneous electrical stimulation of the median nerve at the wrist or the posterior tibial nerve at the medial malleolus [ankle]. The ulnar, radial, peroneal, and other nerves can be tested. Lumbar electrodes may be used in addition to scalp electrodes for lower extremity stimulation."
Under the impression section, it says the results are abnormal because "the normal peripheral responses coupled with the increased central conduction time for the median responses and absent scalp (P40) responses with tibial stimulation suggest a lesion or lesions in the median and tibial somatosensory pathways from the level of the spinal cord to the cortex."
Anyway, what I understood when they did this test is that they measure the time it took the signal to reach from the ankle (for example) to the central nervous system (spinal cord) and then to the brain and that they could tell if the central nervous system was conducting signals slowly (which apparently mine is).
I don't know about the waves. I couldn't see what they were looking at. I do know that they knew that mine was abnormal while they were doing it (they told me) so it must have been obvious.
I had been told for years that I had peripheral neuropathy and this was the first test where the central nervous system and MS came up and it was really the one that put me on a path to diagnosis. At the time, I was elated to have a positive test result (sounds silly, but I think a lot of you know what I mean), but also in a bit of shock because I had not really absorbed the implications of what they were testing for and the central nervous system sounded much worse than the peripheral.
Hope that helps if you are talking about SSEP and sorry for running on if this isn't what you needed to know.
I had an SSEP. I'm not sure if this is different than the test you had. My test came back within normal ranges. I guess that's one of the reasons why I'm in limbo. I'm not sure what the waves are suppose to look like on the screen.
Have they done an EMG on you yet? Did you get the results from this test yet? Sorry I'm not much help.
Keep us posted
Take Care
Have they done an EMG on you yet? Did you get the results from this test yet? Sorry I'm not much help.
Keep us posted
Take Care
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