Effects on cervical vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials of four clinically used head and neck measurement positions in healthy subjects

Abstract

Background

The most reliable head and neck position for cervical vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (cVEMPs) measurements yet to be determined.

Aims/objectives

To assess how four body positions used during clinical recordings of cVEMPs affect cVEMP parameters.

Material and method

cVEMPs of 10 healthy subjects (26-50 years old) were recorded in four body positions: A. sitting/head rotated; B. supine/head rotated; C. semi-recumbent/head rotated and elevated; D. supine/head elevated.

Results

Mean background sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM) electrical activity was significantly higher in positions C and D than in positions A and B. The latencies of p13 and n23 differed significantly among the four positions. Raw p13-n23 complex amplitude was significantly greater in positions C and D than in A and B. These differences were reduced when amplitudes were corrected by SCM activity. For positions A and B, one and two subjects, respectively, had an abnormal raw asymmetry ratio (AR). After correction, all subjects had normal ARs in all positions.

Conclusions and significance

Body positions in which the head is elevated produce a quicker and larger cVEMP response compared to positions in which the head is not elevated. The difference in ARs among positions can be ignored as long as the correction is made.

Chinese abstract

背景：颈部前庭诱发肌源性电位 (cVEMP) 测量的最可靠的头颈部位置仍有待确定。

目的：评估 cVEMP 临床记录期间使用的四种体位如何影响cVEMP 参数。

材料和方法：10名健康受试者（26-50岁）的cVEMPs通过四个体位得以记录： A. 坐姿/头部转动； B. 仰卧/头部转动； C. 半卧/头部转动并抬高； D. 仰卧/头部抬高。

结果：平均背景胸锁乳突肌 (SCM) 电活动在体位 C 和 D 比在体位A 和 B显著更高。 p13 和 n23 的延迟在四个体位之间都不同。原 p13-n23 复合振幅在体位 C 和D明显大于体位 A 和 B 。当通过 SCM活动来校正幅度时, 这些差异减小了。体位 A 和 B, 分别有一名和两名受试者具有异常原不对称比率 (AR)。校正后, 所有受试者在所有体位的 AR 均正常。

结论和意义：与头部未抬高的体位相比, 头部抬高的体位会产生更快更大的cVEMP 响应。 体位之间的AR差别只有经修正后, 才可以忽略不计。

Keywords:

• Correction
• measurement position
• vestibular evoked myogenic potential

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work is supported by JSPS Grant‐in‐Aid for Scientific Research 18K16869 and 21K09574 to K. W. Dr. Shujiro Minami supported our study. Associate Professor Takashi Hisamatsu (Department of Public Health, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences) is a statistical expert and supported our statistical analysis. Their assistance is gratefully acknowledged.