Clinical Value of VEMP in Ménière’s Disease

Abstract

Objective: 1) To find clinical value of cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) in Ménière’s disease (MD). 2) To evaluate whether the VEMP results can be useful in assessing the stage of MD. 3) To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of VEMP in predicting hearing outcome.

Method: The amplitude, peak latency and interaural amplitude difference ratio (IAD ratio) was obtained using cervical VEMP. The VEMP results of MD were compared with normal subjects and MD stages were compared with IAD ratio. Finally, the hearing changes were analyzed according to their VEMP results.

Results: In clinically definite unilateral MD (n = 41), the prevalence of cervical VEMP abnormality in IAD ratio was 34.1%. Compared with healthy subjects (n = 33), the VEMP profile showed low amplitude and similar latency. The mean IAD ratio in MD was 23%, and was significantly different from healthy subjects (P = .01). As the stage increased, IAD ratio was significantly increased (P = .078). After stratification by initial hearing level, stage I and II subjects (hearing threshold, 0-40 dB) with abnormal IAD ratio showed a decrease in hearing over time compared to those with normal IAD ratio (P = .065).

Conclusion: VEMP parameters have an important clinical role in MD. Especially, IAD ratio can be used to assess the stage of MD. An abnormal IAD ratio may be used as a predictor of poor hearing outcomes in subjects with early stage MD.