Brain : a journal of neurology
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Somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) following median, ulnar and tibial nerve stimulation were recorded from sites over the shoulders, neck and scalp in 34 patients with cervical spondylosis. Twenty control subjects were matched for sex and age. Detailed clinical and radiological data were assembled, with particular attention to the sensory modalities impaired and the locus and severity of cord compression. ⋯ The correlation of SEP findings with radiological data was generally poor. SEP abnormalities were detected in 6 out of 8 patients with clinical myelopathy but no radiological evidence of posterior cord compression, suggesting that impairment of the blood supply may be an important factor contributing to cord damage. An application for SEPs in the clinical management of cervical spondylosis may lie in the detection of posterior column involvement and the differential diagnosis from disorders such as multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.