[ERG in Behçet's disease (author's transl)].

Rod- and cone-system electroretinograms from 16 patients suffering of recurrent posterior uveitis and one or more symptoms of Behçet's disease were studied. On the basis of an evaluation of the clinical picture and of the progression three stages of the disease were distinguished. These stages were compared to the changes in amplitude of the b-waves of the ERGs (Fig 1). The findings in this group of patients were also compared to those from 11 patients with "simple" posterior uveitis (Fig. 2). The electroretinographic results in both these groups were highly similar: in all patients progression of the ocular disease was accompanied by parallel reduction in amplitude of the b-wave of the ERG. All ERG responses were affected in a similar way: the rod-system was in general more severly affected than the cone-system in both groups of patients. On the basis of these data it appears that the ERG indicates the stage of retinal damage in posterior uveitis. However, we could not detect ERG changes characteristic for the Behçet type of uveitis.