The impact of vestibular neurectomy via the retro sigmoid approach on VEMPs in adults with Menière’s Disease

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The recent development of the ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potential (oVEMP) test protocol in addition to the cervical vestibular myogenic potential (cVEMP), can provide clinicians information about the functioning of the otolith end organs and their enervating pathways. The utilization of cVEMPs and oVEMPs together may also provide feedback on the success of the surgical attempt to preserve the cochlear fibres during vestibular neurectomy (VN), highlighting the need for including both oVEMPs and cVEMPs in Menière s Disease (MD) subjects post VN. OBJECTIVES: To describe the impact of VN via the retro sigmoid approach on cVEMPs and oVEMPs in subjects with MD. METHODS: This study compared cVEMP and oVEMP responses of 15 subjects with and without MD and 14 subjects with MD who received a VN. The AAO-HNS (1995) classification was used as diagnostic criteria for MD. RESULTS: cVEMP and oVEMP responses were absent on the side of the surgery, in all subjects with MD who had undergone VN. CONCLUSION: Following VN, cVEMPs and oVEMPs were found to be absent.