Cervical and Ocular Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials (VEMPs) in Vestibular Hypersensitivity

Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials (VEMPs) have recently become a popular component of the audiovestibular test battery of many neurology, otolaryngology, and audiology laboratories and clinics. Traditional VEMPs, resulting from the vestibulo-collic reflex, are evoked by intense acoustic stimuli presented via air or bone conduction and recorded from the activated ipsilateral neck musculature via surface electrodes (Welgampola & Colebatch, 2005). The test has achieved its popularity for two principal diagnostic reasons. The first reason is its ability to directly assess the function of an otolithic organ, specifically the saccule, which is not directly assessed during most standard vestibular (ENG/ VNG) evaluations. The second reason is its unique ability to quantify the vestibular hypersensitivity effects of socalled “third mobile window” inner-ear malformations, in particular superior semicircular canal dehiscence (SSCD) (Minor, 2005).