The use of visual evoked potentials to follow-up prisoners of war after release from detention camps.

Visual evoked potentials were examined in released prisoners of war (POWs) in order to evaluate the extent of neurological impairment after imprisonment in Serbian detention camps. On two occasions visual evoked potentials were determined in a group of 11 released prisoners of war (POWs): 157 days and 379 days after release from detention camp. During the first examination no significant differences were found in VEP parameters between the right and left eye. However, during the second examination significant differences were found in the latencies of waves P100 and N145, statistically significantly prolonged latencies of the P100 wave and significantly greater amplitudes of waves P50 and N75. The results can be regarded as progression of the VEP changes in the released POWs. It is hypothesized that these changes are a result of a demyelination process, caused by the altered immunological status of the POWs during posttraumatic stress syndrome.