Clinical application of vestibular evoked myogenic potentials in healthy newborns

Auditory and vestibular functions have critical importance in infancy because they may affect motor and mental development. We aimed to determine the normal values of the vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) parameters to provide a reference for further research regarding the early diagnosis of vestibular dysfunction in newborns.

Twenty-four term newborns (12 girls, 12 boys), with birth weights greater than 2500 g and Apgar scores higher than 7 at 1 min, were studied. Tympanometry, auditory-evoked brainstem responses, transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions, and VEMP recordings were assessed in all subjects during fourth week after birth.

All newborns passed the audiologic evaluation, and biphasic waveforms of the VEMP were obtained in all 48 tested ears. Mean latencies of p13, n23, and p13-n23 intervals were 13.7+/-1.1, 20.5+/-1.6, and 7.1+/-2.1 ms, respectively. The mean amplitude value was 22.6+/-18.4 microV. There were no significant differences in latency values or amplitudes with regard to sex or side of ear tested in newborns.

VEMP may easily be used for early evaluation of vestibular dysfunction in newborns. Because results may differ owing to test techniques and age, every laboratory should have its own normal values.