Ocular and Cervical Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials (VEMPs) in healthy volunteers: the intra-, interobserver, and the test re-test reliability.

Abstract

The aims of the study are to determine the intra-, interobserver, and the test re-test reliability of the cervical and ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs). Twenty healthy subjects underwent acoustically and forehead tap elicited cervical and ocular VEMPs. The measurements were repeated one week later. The intra- and interobserver reliability of both ocular and cervical VEMPs is excellent. The test re-test reliability of the raw p13n23 peak-to-peak amplitudes of the cervical VEMPs is excellent (ICC: 0.76, 0.87) and the p13 latencies show a good reliability (ICC: 0.56, 0.73). The raw n1p1 peak-to-peak amplitudes of the ocular VEMPs show a fair-to-good test re-test reliability (ICC: 0.51, 0.64) and the n1 and p1 latencies show a poor reliability (ICC: -0.17 ≤ x ≤ 0.44). The intra- and interobserver reliability of the cervical and ocular VEMPs is excellent. The raw ocular and cervical VEMP peak-to-peak amplitudes are the most reliable parameters, followed by the cervical VEMP latencies. The ocular VEMP latencies shows a poor test re-test reliability. The individual VEMP results, however, remained within normal limits despite the test re-test variability.