Evaluation of cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential findings in patients with cervical disc pathology

A healthy and fully functional cervical spine is crucial for the activities of daily living. Cervical spinal deformities, soft tissue damages and kanal içinde daralmalar may cause soreness, limitations of movement ability, nerve degeneration, vertigo, neuralgia and dizziness, therefore, they affect patient's quality-of-life negatively. A total of 60 female volunteers, aged 25 to 60 and applied to the Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Policlinic, have participated in our study. Half of them, those who have diagnosed with cervical pathology, has been determined as the experimental group while the remaining half, those who haven't diagnosed with cervical pathology, became the control group. Individuals of both groups did the cVEMP (cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials) test, following their examination in the Otorhinolaryngology Polyclinic. The p1 latency was found as 13.64±2.91 in right ear cVEMP evaluation of volunteers diagnosed with cervical pathology while it was 14.02±2.77 in the control group. According to the statistical analysis, the difference in p1 latency of right ears between two groups is insignificant (p˃0.615). The n1 latency was found as 21.22±3.56 in right ear cVEMP evaluation of the experimental group while it was 21.40±4.16 in the control group. The difference in the n1 latency of right ears between two groups is statistically insignificant (p˃0,864). The p1 latency was found as 13.66±2.60 in left ear cVEMP evaluation of volunteers diagnosed with cervical pathology while it was 14.11±3.03 in the control group. According to the statistical analysis, the difference in p1 latency of left ears between two groups is insignificant (p˃0,560). The n1 latency was found as 20.01±3.53 in left ear cVEMP evaluation of the experimental group while it was 21.20±3.93 in the control group. The difference in the n1 latency of left ears between two groups is statistically insignificant (p˃0.241). Considering the findings of this study, it can be said that the cVEMP test, evaluating the vestibular system, doesn't produce different results between women who are diagnosed with cervical pathology and women who are not diagnosed. For further studies, it is possible to conduct research on patients with cervical pathology using other tests evaluating the vestibular system.