Waiting for the evidence: VEMP testing and the ability to differentiate utricular versus saccular function.
The advent of cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (CVEMPs) marked a milestone in clinical vestibular testing because they provided a simple means of assessing human otolith function. The availability of air-conducted (AC) sound and bone-conducted vibration (BCV) to evoke CVEMPs and development of a new technique of recording ocular vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (OVEMPs) have increased the complexity of this simple test, yet extended its diagnostic capabilities. Here we highlight the evidence-based assumptions that guide interpretation of AC sound- and BCV-evoked VEMPs and the gaps in VEMP research thus far.
Welgampola
Miriam S
MS
Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Department, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
Carey
John P
JP
D000818:Animals; D001844:Bone Conduction / Q000502:physiology*; D004576:Electromyography; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005546:Forehead; D006801:Humans; D012444:Saccule and Utricle / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D020338:Vestibular Neuronitis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014722:Vestibule, Labyrinth / Q000503:physiopathology