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Improving Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potential Reliability by using a Blood Pressure Manometer
Author(s) -
Vanspauwen Robby,
Wuyts Floris L.,
Van de Heyning Paul H.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
the laryngoscope
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1531-4995
pISSN - 0023-852X
DOI - 10.1097/01.mlg.0000187405.57567.ae
Subject(s) - vestibular evoked myogenic potential , sternocleidomastoid muscle , contraction (grammar) , neck muscles , audiology , reliability (semiconductor) , inflatable , biomedical engineering , cuff , vestibular system , medicine , surgery , anatomy , structural engineering , engineering , power (physics) , physics , quantum mechanics
Objective/Hypothesis: To improve the reliability of vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMP), we propose a feedback method making use of a readily available blood pressure manometer with inflatable cuff to control the sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM) contraction. Study Design: Prospective study. Materials and Methods: The feedback method for SCM contraction consisted of subjects pushing with their jaw against the hand‐held inflated cuff to generate a specified cuff pressure. This pressure level was monitored by subject and investigator. First, we tested in a group of healthy subjects whether there was a learning or fatigue effect during four successive SCM contraction runs when making use of the feedback method. Then, we investigated the mean rectified voltage (MRV) values of the SCM. Next, we examined the hypothesis that the MRV values of the SCM contraction measured before and simultaneously with the VEMP test were equal when using this feedback method. Finally, we compared the VEMP amplitude variability in two circumstances: with and without the feedback method. Results: There was no learning or fatigue effect, and the MRV values measured before the VEMP were not significantly different from those measured during the VEMP test. The VEMP amplitude variability was significantly lower when applying the feedback method than when no feedback method was used. Conclusion: This feedback method improves significantly the VEMP amplitude reliability.