Comparison of visual evoked potentials elicited by light-emitting diodes and TV monitor stimulation in patients with multiple sclerosis and potentially related conditions.

Visual evoked potentials elicited by reversal of a checkerboard pattern constructed of square, red light-emitting diodes (LEDs) were compared with a conventional black and white pattern displayed on a TV monitor in control subjects and in 71 patients with established or suspected multiple sclerosis. Both stimuli elicited distinct responses in the control groups: the latencies were longer with LED stimulation while the amplitudes of the various components were differently altered. The frequency of abnormal responses among the patients was higher with LED stimulation than with TV stimulation, but the highest diagnostic yield was obtained when both methods were combined.