Low Amplitude of Ocular Vestibular-Evoked Myogenic Potentials Can Denote Poor Prognosis in Patients with Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Ayça Başkadem Yılmazer, Sabire Sitare Sarıçam, Güler Berkiten, Öykü İzel Onaran, Melis Ece Arkan Anarat, Belgin Tutar, Hüseyin Sarı, Ömür Biltekin TunaObjective: To assess vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMP), both cervical (c-VEMP) and ocular (o-VEMP), in patients diagnosed with unilateral sudden hearing loss and presenting with vestibular symptoms and to determine whether these responses can serve as predictive parameters for recovery.
Materials and Methods: Patients diagnosed with unilateral sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL) and vertigo and healthy volunteers without ear pathology were included. All participants underwent ear tests, including pure tone audiometry and c-VEMP and o-VEMP tests.
Results: When comparing the VEMP values of the patients who showed improved hearing with those who did not, it was observed that the o-VEMP amplitude of non-improved patients was statistically lower (p=0.013). Moreover, in the non-improved group, the c-VEMP P1 latencies were lower, and the amplitude asymmetry ratio (AAR) of c-VEMP was significantly higher than that in the control group, significantly (p=0.006 and p<0.001, respectively; Mann Whitney U test with Bonferroni Correction p<0.017).
Conclusion: In patients with SSHL and vertigo, VEMP testing is beneficial for detecting the vestibular component of the disease. There was no asymmetry in VEMP responses between the affected and unaffected ear sides. Patients with SSHL who have vertigo have poor hearing loss recovery rates in the case of low-amplitude o-VEMP responses.