Su Hsuan-Chao, Huang Tsung-Wei, Young Yi-Ho, Cheng Po-Wen
Department of Otolaryngology, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Otol Neurotol. 2004 Nov;25(6):977-80. doi: 10.1097/00129492-200411000-00019.
Vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) is applied to explore the integrity of sacculocollic reflex. Although tests to evaluate vestibular-ocular reflex pathway have shown that vestibular function is adversely affected by aging, VEMP, in this study, is used as a novel test to define how aging influences sacculocollic reflex pathway.
Prospective study.
Academic tertiary referral center.
Eighty normal subjects, equally divided into four groups according to their age, were enrolled to this study. Group I included patients aged <20 years, Group II patient ages ranged from 21 to 40 years, Group III patients were 41 to 60 years, and Group IV included patients older than 60 years.
Recordings of VEMP responses.
The response rate and parameters of VEMP, including p13 latency, n23 latency, amplitude, and interaural difference ratio.
The VEMP response rates from Groups I to IV was 98%, 98%, 90%, and 60%, respectively, disclosing a significant difference only between Group IV and other groups (p < 0.05). The amplitude was negatively correlated with age in contrast to the n23 latency, correlating positively with age; both reached a significant difference (p < 0.05). Although the p13 latency had a trend to prolong as age increased, no significant correlation existed (p < 0.06). Moreover, the interaural difference ratio was also not significantly correlated with age.
As age increased over 60 years, the VEMP response rate decreased dramatically. While age increased, the VEMP amplitude decreased in comparison to n23 latency prolonged. These findings might suggest that aging could deteriorate the saccular and corresponding neural functions. When interpreting the VEMP parameters, it should be kept in mind that aging could affect VEMP responses. Based on this study, we suggest establishing different reference values according to different age groups when evaluating VEMP response in patients with vestibular diseases.
前庭诱发肌源性电位（VEMP）用于探究球囊-颈反射的完整性。尽管评估前庭眼反射通路的测试表明，前庭功能会受到衰老的不利影响，但在本研究中，VEMP被用作一种新的测试方法，以确定衰老如何影响球囊-颈反射通路。
前瞻性研究。
学术性三级转诊中心。
80名正常受试者，根据年龄平均分为四组。第一组包括年龄小于20岁的患者，第二组患者年龄在21至40岁之间，第三组患者为41至60岁，第四组包括年龄大于60岁的患者。
记录VEMP反应。
VEMP的反应率和参数，包括p13潜伏期、n23潜伏期、波幅和双耳差值比。
第一组至第四组的VEMP反应率分别为98%、98%、90%和60%，仅第四组与其他组之间存在显著差异（p<0.05）。与n23潜伏期与年龄呈正相关相反，波幅与年龄呈负相关；两者均达到显著差异（p<0.05）。尽管p13潜伏期有随年龄增加而延长的趋势，但不存在显著相关性（p<0.06）。此外，双耳差值比也与年龄无显著相关性。
随着年龄超过60岁，VEMP反应率显著下降。随着年龄增长，VEMP波幅降低，而n23潜伏期延长。这些发现可能表明衰老会使球囊及相应神经功能恶化。在解释VEMP参数时，应牢记衰老可能影响VEMP反应。基于本研究，我们建议在评估前庭疾病患者的VEMP反应时，根据不同年龄组建立不同的参考值。
