General insults to the nervous system, such as perinatal hypoxia, may be accompanied by pathologic changes in visual evoked potentials (VEPs). Crude correlations have sometimes been identified between the degree of VEP abnormality and long-term neurologic and behavioral outcome.

The aim of the present study was to correlate changes or differences in VEPs with cerebral palsy, The VEPs were analyzed by the latency, amplitude, and interhemispheric symmetry and graded into 4 categories, which were obtained from 25 children with cerebral palsy aged from 15 to 59 months (mean, 29 months).

The results were as follows:

1) By the grade of VEPs, normal response was 24.6%, prolonged latency 45.6%, abnormal wave 15.8%, and no response 2.0%

2) The mean P2 latency of VEPs of normal response group was 98.62±26.07 msec, that of prolonged latency group was 113.27±18.66 msec and that of abnormal wave group 130.28±27.31 msec. The mean N2-P2 amplitude of normal response was 13.02±2.51㎶. that of prolonged latency group 13.29±7.62㎶, and that of abnormal wave group 4.29±0.11㎶.

3) Abnormal wave or no response of the VEPs ware 14.3% in children with spastic diplegia, 18.8% with spastic quadriplegia, and 27.8% with hemiplegia.

4) There was no correlation between the motor development and VEP abnormalities in children with cerebral palsy aged over 15 months.