Introduction:

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating, inflammatory and degenerative disease of the central nervous system. Multimodal sensory evoked potentials (MSEP) have been used to evaluate the integrity of sensory pathways but have not been globally considered as a tool to MS diagnose.

Objective:

to evaluate the relationship between the global score of MSEP with the degree of disability and the presence of structural lesions in MS patients.

Methods:

Thirty-five patients with relapsing-remitting MS were studied in the International Center for Neurological Restoration. The score of the MSEP was correlated to the disability scale of Kurtzke and the degree of lesions evidenced in magnetic resonance images.

Results:

A significant correlation was found between the global score and disability scale (R=0.33, p<0.05) and between the global score and the number of lesion levels detected in the resonance images (R=0.42, p< 0.05).

Conclusion:

The relationship between the global score of the MSEP and the structural lesions and degree of disability confirms its utility to study MS patients, even though they aren´t part of the diagnostic criteria.