Surg Neurol
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Spinal, subcortical, and short latency cortical somatosensory-evoked potentials (SEPs) following electrical stimulation of the median or tibial nerve were studied in 100 children aged 4 weeks to 13 years. Standard neurophysiological methods of recording surface SEPs were used in sedated and nonsedated children. The morphology of the SEPs was similar to that obtained in adults; however, the initial components of the cortical SEP following median nerve stimulation did show maturational changes in both interpeak latencies and morphology. ⋯ The lumbar spine to scalp transit time showed no direct relationship to age. Comparisons of SEPs recorded in the same subject when awake and under general anesthesia showed that the latencies of the subcortical, spinal, and N1-P1 complex of the cortical SEP are identical; however, the later components of the cortical SEP vary both in latency and amplitude with anesthesia. This study represents normative data against which SEP in children with disorders of the central nervous system may be compared.