Reproducibility (test-retest) of vestibular evoked myogenic potential

Abstract

Introduction: There is still no consensus in the literature as to the best acoustic stimulus for capturing vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP). Low-frequency tone bursts are generally more effective than high-frequency, but recent studies still use clicks. Reproducibility is an important analytical parameter to observe the reliability of responses. Objective: To determine the reproducibility of p13 and n23 latency and amplitude of the VEMP for stimuli with different tone-burst frequencies, and to define the best test frequency. Methods: Cross-sectional cohort study. VEMP was captured in 156 ears, on the sternocleidomastoid muscle, using 100 tone-burst stimuli at frequencies of 250, 500, 1000, and 2000. Hz, and sound intensity of 95. dB nHL. Responses were replicated, that is, recorded three times on each side. Results: No significant difference was observed for p13 and n23 latencies of the VEMP, captured at three moments with tone-burst stimuli at 250, 500, and 1000. Hz. Only the frequency of 2000. Hz showed a difference between captures of this potential (. p < 0.001) para a frequência de 2000. Hz. A análise da amplitude de p13 e n23 se mostrou semelhante, no teste-reteste, para todas as frequências analisadas. Conclusão: Existe reprodutibilidade das latências e amplitudes de p13 e n23 do PEMV para estímulos tone burst nas frequências de 250, 500 e 1000. Hz.