Utility of Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials in the Differential Diagnosis of Suspected Meniere's Disease and Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo

Abstract

VEMP is a valuable clinical tool in the differential diagnosis of various conditions affecting the normal physiology of the vestibular system. It provides information about the functioning of the otolith organ and the functional integrity of the inferior vestibular nerve. Meniere’s disease (MD) and benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), which exhibit almost similar patterns of symptom, has to be differentiated from each other. Hence, the present study was aimed to identify the pattern of VEMP’s results in individuals with MD and BPPV and also how these wave forms are different from waveform that are recorded from the individuals with any vestibular abnormalities. The results indicated a significant difference in the latency of the p13 and n23 and also the peak to peak amplitude across the groups. The VEMP’s responses rates of the MD group were the least among the groups. The interaural amplitude difference ratio was significantly higher in the MD group. A difference in the VEMP responses between the unaffected and affected side in individuals with unilateral MD was also observed. Thus, the IADR value could be used to identify individuals with MD