Evoked Potential – Homestead, FL

Evoked potential is used to measure the electrical activity in certain areas of the brain and spinal cord.  Electrical activity is produced by stimulation of specific sensory nerve pathways.  These exams are used in combination with other diagnostic tests to assist in the diagnosis of neurological disorders.

Evoked potential examines and records how quickly and completely the nerve signals reach the brain. Evoked potentials are used because they can identify problems along nerve pathways that are too subtle to show up during a neurologic examination.  The disruption may not even be visible on a MRI exam.

Below are the different types of evoked potential tests we offer.

Visual Evoked Potential (VEP)

This procedure will require that you observe a flashing checkerboard pattern projected on a screen.  If you have eyeglasses, please bring them to use during testing.  Electrodes will be placed on your scalp and shoulder.  This procedure may take up to 1-hour to complete.  Patients unable to focus on the screen, such as young children, will be given special eyewear.

Auditory Evoked Potentials (AEP)

This examination involves listening to clicking noises produced in a set of headphones.  The test requires the application of a few electrodes to the scalp. This exam may take about 1-hour to complete.

Somatosensory Evoked Potentials (SSEP)

Somatosensory evoked potentials assess the nerve pathway from the arms and legs through the spinal cord to the brain.  SSEP are used to identify spinal cord injuries or diseases, identify neuromuscular disease/ demyelinating diseases, and monitor patients during surgery on the spine at the neck and chest area. 

An SSEP takes 2-3 hours to complete.  If the spinal cord is pinched, the electrical signals sent during the SSEP will travel more slowly than usual.