oVEMPs and cVEMPs in patients with 'clinically certain' Menière's disease.
OBJECTIVE
To measure ocular vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (oVEMPs) and cervical vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (cVEMPS) in Menière's disease patients with confirmed cochlear hydrops and in the normal ears of volunteers.


METHODS
oVEMPs and cVEMPs were measured in 18 patients with a symptomatic diagnosis of Menière's disease and tone burst electrocochleographic confirmation of hydrops, and in the ears of 22 volunteers.


RESULTS
Threshold measures: For cVEMP: no significant differences between Menière's ears and controls; for oVEMP: significantly elevated thresholds in affected ears of Menière's ears compared with their unaffected ears, but not with controls. Latency measures: cVEMP N1 peaks were significantly prolonged compared with the left and right ears of controls, but not with the non-affected ear. Amplitude measures: cVEMP P1N1 and N1P2 measures were significantly reduced compared with the right ear of controls, but not with the non-affected ear; For oVEMP, N2P2 amplitudes were significantly reduced compared with both ears of controls but not with the non-affected ear.


CONCLUSIONS
Abnormalities of oVEMPs and cVEMPs were found in 18 Menière's disease patients who had an independent confirmation of cochlear hydrops. The overlap of the results from Menière's patients compared with normal controls limits the use of VEMP abnormalities as a sole reliable diagnostic test for Menière's disease.
a Department of Communication Disorders , University of Canterbury , Christchurch , New Zealand ;
Sarah-Anne
SA
Johnson
a Department of Communication Disorders , University of Canterbury , Christchurch , New Zealand ;
Greg A
GA
O'Beirne
a Department of Communication Disorders , University of Canterbury , Christchurch , New Zealand ;
Emily
E
Lin
b Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Audiology , Christchurch Hospital , Christchurch , New Zealand.
John
J
Gourley
a Department of Communication Disorders , University of Canterbury , Christchurch , New Zealand ;|b Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Audiology , Christchurch Hospital , Christchurch , New Zealand.
Jeremy
J
Hornibrook
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008575:Meniere Disease / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012684:Sensory Thresholds; D058585:Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials; D055815:Young Adult
Menière’s disease; cVEMP; oVEMP; tone burst electrocochleography