Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials in the Otoneurological Evaluation of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Introduction: The Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potential (VEMP) is a test that evaluates the lesions in the encephalic trunk that compromise the vestibule-spinal route, such as in the cases of multiple sclerosis (MS). The acoustic stimulus in VEMP is evoked in the form of clicks from hearing phones. The macula is activated by sounds stimulus, generating an electric potential that follows by the way of the inferior vestibular nerve, lateral vestibular nucleus, vestibule-spinal tract, and finally ipsilateral motor neuron of the cervical musculature. The evoked myogenic answer is captured with superficial electrodes in the sternocleidomastoid muscle. Among the few diagnostic examinations for the evaluation of the vestibule-spinal route, the VEMP is considered an important method.

Objectives: To determinate the utility of the VEMP in the otoneurological evaluation of patients with MS.

Data Synthesis: The research was achieved on the basis of data from Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde (LILACS), Integrated Building Environmental Communications System (IBECS), Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), and Cochrane Bibliotheca (2000-2013), and from the Keywords multiple sclerosis, VEMP, and otoneurology. We have selected nine publications (eight articles and one thesis) that showed that it elevated the prevalence of otoneurological signs and symptoms in the patients with MS and that the evaluation of the vestibule-spinal route’s integrity can be done through the utilization of the VEMP as an additional diagnostic exam.

Conclusion: The clinical use of the VEMP is important in the series of exams used to diagnose MS, as it evaluates the presence of demyelinating lesions of the vestibule-spinal route.

Keywords: VEMP, multiple sclerosis, otoneurology.