Prognostic significance of electrophysiological investigations in stroke patients: somatosensory and motor evoked potentials and sympathetic skin response.

A prospective 3-month follow-up examination was carried out in 12 patients with supratentorial stroke. Motor evoked potentials (MEP), somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) and sympathetic skin responses (SSR) were performed 1-7 days, 30 days and 3 months after stroke. The functional outcome measured by a daily activity index (Barthel index) was assessed 3 months after the stroke. There was a significant correlation between SEP and MEP results obtained for the first week and recovery of sensation and motility 3 months later. When initially normal, motor potentials evoked by transcranial magnetic stimulation had a significant predictive value for long-term functional outcome, whereas SEP and SSR did not. SSR present at the initial stage was correlated with the state of consciousness.