Recovery of vestibular evoked myogenic potentials after a vertigo attack due to vestibular neuritis.

CONCLUSIONS

Inferior vestibular nerve functions could recover in patients with vestibular neuritis (VN).

OBJECTIVES

Although the recovery of superior vestibular nerve functions has been reported, there is little information about the recovery of inferior vestibular nerve functions in patients with VN. This study was done to clarify if inferior vestibular nerve functions recover after an attack of VN.

METHODS

Neuro-otological tests including vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) testing and caloric testing were sequentially performed in 13 patients with VN, who showed absence of VEMP on the affected side at the initial examination (7 men and 6 women, 28-82 years of age). VEMPs to click stimulation (95 dBnHL) were recorded with surface electrodes over each sternocleidomastoid muscle.

RESULTS

Among the 13 patients, 5 patients (4 men and 1 woman) showed recovery of VEMP responses. Four of the five patients (three men and one woman) showed recovery of VEMP to the normal range. It takes 6 months to 2 years to recover within the normal range. On the other hand, caloric responses recovered to the normal range only in one patient.