Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMP) in peripheral vestibular disorders

It has been suggested that vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) testing is a new tool used in the diagnosis of the peripheral vestibular disorders. The VEMP testing has been proposed as a clinical test of saccular and/or inferior vestibular nerve functions. The aim in this study was to find out significance of VEMP testing in the diagnosis of Meniere?s disease (MD) and recurrent vestibulopathy (RV) as well as contribution of saccul or/and inferior vestibular nerve in these disorders.Forty-two ears of 21 healthy participants, 45 ears of 32 MD patients and 47 ears of 35 RV patients were included in this study.The VEMP findings in RV patients were; absence of VEMP in 11 ears (22%); prolonged interaural ratio (AR) in 4 ears; prolonged p13 and/or n23 latencies in 15 ears (35%); prolonged interaural latency in 4 ears; and normal VEMP in 13 ears (28%). The VEMP findings in MD were; absence of VEMP in 23 ears (51%); prolonged p13 and/or n23 latencies in 9 ears (20%); prolonged interaural latency in 5 ears (11%); and normal VEMP in 8 ears (18%).VEMP is an easy to perform diagnostic tool that can be used in the diagnosis of peripheral vestibular disorders. Abnormal VEMP responses can be found in MD depending on the presence of saccular hydrops, whereas prolonged latencies are usually seen in RV indicating inferior vestibular nerve involvement.