Vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) results in migraine and migrainous vertigo

Abstract

Background: The pathophysiology of vertigo is not fully known; thus, it is difficult to diagnose vestibular migraine (VM) in some migraine patients with vertigo symptoms.

Aims/objectives: We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential (cVEMP) in patients with VM.

Materials and Methods: Thirty-two patients diagnosed with migraine and 31 patients with VM were prospectively included in this study. The cVEMP responses were obtained, and P1-N1 latency, interpeak amplitude, amplitude asymmetry ratio were calculated. The patients' demographics, results of physical and audiometric examinations, and VEMP records as well as absence of responses were evaluated and compared between groups.

Results: The incidence of ears with absence VEMP responses was found to be numerically higher in the migraine group than in the VM group (p = .106). Additionally, there were no statistically significant differences detected between the groups in terms of the p13 or n23 latency, interpeak amplitude, and amplitude asymmetry ratio measured in both right and left ears (p > .05).

Conclusions: The increased rate of absent VEMPs was associated with the hypoperfusion of the sacculo-collic reflex pathway in migraine patients. In addition, it was concluded that VEMP reflex responses appear to be insufficient to differentiate between VM and migraine diagnoses.

Chinese abstract

背景：眩晕症的病理生理学还不完全清楚。因此, 在一些有眩晕症状的偏头痛患者中, 前庭偏头痛（VM）的诊断是困难的。

目的：探讨颈前庭诱发肌源性电位（cVEMP）对VM的诊断价值。

材料与方法：对32例偏头痛患者和31例VM患者进行前瞻性研究。我们获得了cVEMP反应, 并计算了P1-N1潜伏期、峰间振幅和振幅不对称率。对患者的人口统计学、体格检查和听力检查结果、VEMP记录以及无反应进行评估, 并进行组间比较。

结果：偏头痛组无VEMP反应的发生率明显高于VM组（p = 0.106）。此外, 两组在p13或n23潜伏期、峰间振幅和左右耳测量的振幅不对称率方面无统计学差异（p >.05）。

结论：偏头痛患者VEMPs缺失率增高与球囊-丘反射通路灌注不足有关。此外, 我们的结论是, VEMP反射反应似乎不足以区分VM和偏头痛的诊断。

Keywords:

• Vestibular migraine
• migraine
• vestibular evoked myogenic potential
• VEMPs
• cVEMP

Ethical approval

Institutional Review Board protocol approval number: 150-358. Institutional Review Board protocol approval number date: 12.04.2019.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.