Correlation between Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials and Disease Progression in Meniere's Disease

Abstract

Objective: To assess the relationship between ocular (oVEMPs) and cervical (cVEMPs) vestibular evoked myogenic potentials and audiometrically determined clinical stage in Meniere's disease (MD). Methods: Thirty-four unilateral MD patients and 30 healthy volunteers were included in the study. Pure-tone hearing levels, oVEMPs, cVEMPs, and videonystagmography results were analyzed and compared between the groups. Results: Both oVEMPs and cVEMPs were highly reproducible in the control group. At the early stages of MD, cVEMPs were particularly disturbed, while at the advanced stages both oVEMPs and cVEMPs were altered pathologically. In the study group, oVEMP and cVEMP amplitudes and interaural amplitude difference (IAD) statistically differed from those in the control sample. oVEMPs were absent in 7.7% of stage III and in 44.5% of stage IV MD patients, while cVEMPs were absent in 15.4% of stage III and in 54.5% of stage IV MD patients, respectively. In stage III and IV MD patients in whom oVEMPs and cVEMPs were obtained, IADs were increased. Caloric asymmetry was found in 64.7% of MD patients. Caloric weakness was more prominent in cases with advanced MD. Conclusion: VEMPs can be used for objective validation of the stage of MD.