title: Impact of subject's position and acoustic stimulus type on vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs) in normal subjects.
abstract: Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs) are currently considered a diagnostic tool for studying the vestibular system, specifically the saccule and inferior vestibular nerve. This prospective study aimed at evaluating the impact of patient position and type of acoustic stimulus on VEMPs results using 60 healthy subjects who underwent otoscopy, pure tone audiometry and VEMPs in different conditions affecting their position and the type of acoustic stimulus. Corrected amplitude is significantly greater when the patient is seated and latency difference and amplitude asymmetry do not change with either patient position or type of stimulus. The results obtained in different test conditions are not comparable. Being seated is the most appropriate position for the test.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurotology, Servicio de Otorrinolaringología, Complejo Hospitario Universitario de Santiago, Travesía da Choupana, s/n, 15706, Santiago de Compostela, Spain, isitava@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Isabel Vaamonde
authors.initials: IV
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Andrade
authors.forename: Andrés
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Soto-Varela
authors.forename: Torcuato
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Labella Caballero
authors.forename: Pilar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gayoso Diz
authors.forename: Sofía
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Santos-Pérez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D005260:Female; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D038781:Otoscopy; D011187:Posture; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012444:Saccule and Utricle / Q000502:physiology; D058585:Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials; D014725:Vestibular Nerve / Q000502:physiology