Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials using low frequency stimuli

Aline Cabral De Oliveira,José Fernando Colafêmina,Pedro De Lemos Menezes

doi:10.1590/s1808-86942011000600005

Abstract

AbstractVestibular evoked myogenic potentials are vestibulocervical reflexes resulting from sacculus stimulation with strong intensity sounds. Normality parameters are necessary for young normal individuals, using low frequency stimuli, which configure the most sensitive region of this sensory organ. AimTo establish vestibular evoked myogenic potential standards for low frequency stimulation. Material and MethodVestibular evoked myogenic potential was captured from 160 ears, in the ipsilateral sternocleidomastoid muscle, using 200 averaged tone-burst stimuli, at 250 Hz, with an intensity of 95 dB NAn. Case StudyClinical observational cross-sectional. ResultsNeither the student's t-test nor the Mann-Whitney test showed a significant difference in latency or vestibular evoked myogenic potential amplitudes, for p ≤ 0.05. Irrespective of gender, we found latencies of p13-n23 and p13-n23 interpeaks of 13.84 ms (± 1.41), 23.81 ms (±1.99) and 10.62 ms (± 6.56), respectively. Observed values for amplitude asymmetry between the ears were equal to 13.48% for females and 3.81% for males. ConclusionLow frequency stimuli generate vestibular evoked myogenic potentials, with adequate morphology and amplitude, thereby enabling the establishment of standard values for normal individuals at this frequency.

Highlights

Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials (VEMP) are cervical-vestibular reflexes, arising from the stimulation of the sacculus with high intensity sounds[1,2]
Neither the student’s t-test nor the Mann-Whitney test showed a significant difference in latency or vestibular evoked myogenic potential amplitudes, for p ≤ 0.05
The responses are collected from the neck muscles, by means of a surface electrode[3] and may be utilized for vestibular function assessment, that of the sacculus, the lower vestibular nerve and/or the vestibular nucleus[4,5,6]

Summary

Introduction

Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials (VEMP) are cervical-vestibular reflexes, arising from the stimulation of the sacculus with high intensity sounds[1,2]. The responses are collected from the neck muscles, by means of a surface electrode[3] and may be utilized for vestibular function assessment, that of the sacculus, the lower vestibular nerve and/or the vestibular nucleus[4,5,6]. Some authors[10] noticed a greater response sensitivity of these responses between 250 and 500 Hz, and other authors[7] found it between 200 and 400 Hz. The click stimuli are still broadly discussed in the literature, which generate reliable responses, despite stimulating regions between 1000 and 4000 Hz1

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