Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 15, 2026

Neuro-rehabilitation Approach for Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Published on: January 25, 2016
The hidden loss of otolithic function in children with profound sensorineural hearing loss
Xin-Da Xu1, Qing Zhang2, Juan Hu2
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Second Affiliated Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University College of Medicine, Ear Institute of Xi'an Jiaotong University College of Medicine, Xi'an 710004, China; Department of Otology and Skull Base Surgery, Eye Ear Nose & Throat Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200031, China; Key Laboratory of Hearing Science, Ministry of Health, Shanghai, China.
Objective:
This study sought to define the profile of ocular and cervical vestibular-evoked myogenic potential (oVEMP and cVEMP) in children with profound sensorineural hearing loss (PSHL).
Methods:
The ACS-evoked oVEMPs and cVEMPs of 43 children with PSHL and 20 healthy children were investigated. The response rates, thresholds, amplitudes, P1 and N1 latencies, and interpeak latencies of VEMPs were analyzed. Each patient's medical record was summarized and classified.
Results:
The response rates of oVEMP and cVEMP in patients with PSHL were 58.1% and 61.9% respectively, which were significantly less than those in healthy children (both were 100%). In the children patients whose oVEMP or cVEMP could still be elicited, significant elevated thresholds and decreased amplitudes in VEMPs could be observed (p<0.05). However, in the summary of the medical records of all the 43 patients, it was showed that neither the patients and their parents nor the doctors noticed the balance problem and the loss of otolithic function.
Conclusions:
The otolithic dysfunction, which could be easily ignored in children with PSHL, could be observed in VEMPs. In the process of diagnosis and treatment of PSHL, the vestibular function should obtain enough attention. VEMPs have special value in observation of the hidden loss of otolithic function, and could be an important vestibular assessment method for children with PSHL.
Related Concept Videos
The Cochlea
The Auditory Ossicles
The aptly named stapes look very much like a stirrup. The three ossicles are unique to mammals, and each plays a role in...
Unrenewable Cells
Photoreceptors
The retina is composed of several layers and contains specialized cells called photoreceptors. The photoreceptors (rods and cones) change their membrane potential when stimulated by light energy. There are two types of photoreceptors—rods and cones—which differ in the shape of...
Equilibrium and Balance
The Vestibular System
Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure

