Objective: 

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease of the central nervous system, with a multifactorial etiology, characterized by inflammatory and degeneration processes with a multiphasic and multifocal evolution. The objective of our study was to identify predictable parameters when monitoring gait disorders that will appear in the evolution of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, by using visual evoked potentials (VEP) and tensiomyography (TMG).

Methods: 

We assessed 86 parameters, 36 parameters in VEP evaluation, 50 in TMG, both on a group of patients suffering from certain Ms (20 patients) and a control group. The MS lot was grouped in two subgroups: subgroup A, with clinically detectable gait disorders and subgroup B, without clinically detectable gait disorders. All groups were tested by neurophysiologic evaluation methods such as VEP, using a pattern reversal full field stimulation and TMG on quadriceps components, femoral biceps, gastrocnemian muscles and tibialis anterior.

Results: 

We recorded high values of wave N75 latencies in subgroup A. The delays of the P100 wave were presented in both subgroups. In our study, the contraction time as TMG parameter – recorded higher values in posterior muscular group of the thigh and anterior muscular group of the shank. After analyzing muscular displacement and relaxation time, we observed a higher muscle tonus in all muscular groups we tested, especially in gastrocnemian. The ratio direct/converse correlation is high in VEP/TMG correlations.

Conclusions: 

We have used tensiomyography to explore MS patients, simultaneously completing an analysis by correlating the results of the investigations, to both create a new diagnosis algorithm and predict the evolution of balance and gait disorders at these patients.