Visual evoked potentials follow-up in idiopathic intracranial hypertension

OBJECTIVES: To demonstrate the importance of visual evoked potential (VEP) in determining the severity and prognosis of the disease and in monitoring the clinical course in patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). METHODS: This is a prospective cross-sectional study conducted covering the period between March 2014 and January 2015. The study included 32 patients recently diagnosed with IIH and 30 healthy volunteers. The initial VEP values of the IIH patients were compared to the VEP values of the healthy control group. Furthermore, the initial VEP values of the IIH patients were compared with their VEP values after one month of treatment. RESULTS: The mean age of the IIH patients was 37.8±12.02 years. Of the IIH patients, 27 (84%) were females and 5 (16%) were males. There was a statistically significant association of the initial VEP values with the visual field findings (p=0.011) and visual acuity (p=0.040). Moreover, a statistically significant difference was found between the control group and IIH patients in terms of right (p<0.001) and left P100 values (p<0.001). While 18 (56%) of the initial VEPs of IIH patients were pathological, 14 (44%) of the second VEPs were pathological, and this difference was not statistically significant (p=0.125). CONCLUSION: A relationship between the VEP P100 values and the severity of the disease was detected, while the importance of monitoring VEP values in the follow-up of IIH patients was not demonstrated.