Author/Editor		Stirn-Kranjc, B; Brecelj, J
Title		Electrophysiology as a diagnostic aid in pediatric ophthalmology
Translated title		Elektrofiziologija kot pomoč pri diagnostiki v otroški oftalmologiji
Type		članek
Source		Zdrav Vestn
Vol. and No.		Letnik 62, št. Suppl 1
Publication year		1993
Volume		str. 91-7
Language		eng
Abstract		Backround. Electrophysiological studies including electroretinography (ERGF) and visual evoked potentials (VEP), which give information about functional integrity of the visual pathway, got evident imapct on clinical pediatric ophthalmology. Methods and results. Recordings of 252 electrophysiological examinations, performed in the past two years in 85 infants and young children with various neuro- and ophthalmological disorders, were analysed and compared to the young patients' clinical pictures. ERG and VEP signs were more specific to the disease entity in retinal dystrophies, ocular albinism, optic neuritis, chiasmal and retrochiasmal lesions, while the recordings in hydrocephalus, psychomotor retardation, epilepsy, hypoxia and other neurological disorders, chorioretinal and optic nerve colobomas, macular lesions, glaucoma or optic nerve trauma were nonspecific but pertinent to the clinical status. Using skin electrodes for the ERG and VEP tetsing, without sedation or pupil dilation, reliable results were obtained. Conclusions. Normal ERGs and VEPs indicate well-preserved function of the retinocortical pathway, still the possibility of a dysfunction in other areas concerned with visual processing, attention and the eye movement is not excluded. Electrophysiological evaluation of the visual pathway is mostly and best performed in research laboratories for several reasons, such as time consummation, economic constraints and a scientist's soecial training, but in close co-operating with a clinician, so as to better understand the variety of visual pathway disorders, especially in children, and to better appreciate the information that can be derived from such tests.
Descriptors		RETINAL DEGENERATION MACULAR DEGENERATION GLAUCOMA OPTIC NERVE DISEASES CHILD ELECTRORETINOGRAPHY EVOKED POTENTIALS, VISUAL