Somatosensory evoked potentials in acute neurological decompression illness.

Somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) were recorded on posterior tibial nerve stimulation during compression in 21 episodes of acute neurological decompression illness (DCI) involving 20 patients. A further two cases were monitored immediately after treatment only. The results were compared with previously published normal data from this laboratory and with recordings obtained during the compression of four normal volunteers. Compression had no effect on SSEPs in normal subjects: SSEP latency abnormalities were found in 17 of the episodes of DCI. An SSEP improvement at final recording was noted in 7 of the 11 episodes which were monitored during treatment and classified initially as neurophysiologically abnormal. SSEPs may assist in the diagnosis of DCI.