Pattern-reversal visual evoked potentials in patients with hydrocephalus.

Pattern-reversal visual evoked potentials (VEP's) in response to whole- and half-field stimulation were studied in 10 patients with hydrocephalus. Abnormalities consistent with optic nerve dysfunction were recorded in four patients. Two patients had response asymmetry to half-field stimulation, which suggested dysfunction of the visual pathway in the right hemisphere. The remaining four patients had normal responses. Measurement of VEP's was repeated after the surgical treatment of hydrocephalus in four patients, and showed marked improvement in two of the three patients with preoperative abnormalities. This study suggests that, in patients with hydrocephalus, VEP's are more sensitive than clinical methods in detecting visual pathway dysfunction and that they can be useful in the follow-up monitoring of surgically treated hydrocephalic patients.