Role of cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential response in identifying vestibular dysfunction.

OBJECTIVES

To analyse cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential response parameters in normal volunteers and vertiginous patients.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

A prospective study of 50 normal subjects and 50 patients with vertigo was conducted at Chiang Mai University Hospital, Thailand. Cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential responses were measured using air-conducted, 500-Hz, tone-burst stimuli with subjects in a sitting position with their head turned toward the contralateral shoulder.

RESULTS

The mean ± standard deviation age and male:female ratio in the normal (44.0 ± 9.3 years; 12:38) and vertigo groups (44.7 ± 9.8 years; 17:33) were not significantly different. The prevalence of absent responses in the normal (14 per cent) and vertigo ears (46 per cent) differed significantly (p < 0.0001). Other cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential parameters (i.e. response threshold, P1 and N1 latency, P1–N1 interlatency and interamplitude, inter-ear difference in P1 threshold, and asymmetry ratio) showed no inter-group differences.

CONCLUSION

The absence of a cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential response is useful in the identification of vestibular dysfunction. However, patients should undergo a comprehensive battery of other vestibular tests to supplement their cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential response findings.