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Updated: Oct 13, 2026
Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations
Published on: July 1, 2015
Methodological aspects of testing vestibular evoked myogenic potentials in infants at universal hearing screening
Luca Verrecchia1,2, Niki Karpeta3,4, Magnus Westin3
1Audiology and Neurotology Unit, Ear Nose and Throat Patient Area, Trauma and Reparative Medicine Theme, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. luca.verrecchia@ki.se.
Insights
A new method using cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMP) can assess infant balance function during newborn hearing screenings. This safe and cost-effective test is feasible for large-scale infant vestibular assessment.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Neuroscience
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Infant motor development relies on the vestibular organ for balance.
- Vestibular dysfunction can lead to motor delays and impaired motor skills in children.
- A large-scale, safe, and cost-effective infant vestibular test is needed for various clinical applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the feasibility of using cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMP) within newborn hearing screening programs.
- To establish a practical method for large-scale infant balance function assessment.
Main Methods:
- Cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMP) were measured in infants after hearing tests.
- Bone-conducted stimuli were used to evoke VEMP responses.
- Stimulus delivery was regulated by neck muscle activity, with infants in a natural resting position.
Main Results:
- The developed VEMP protocol demonstrated high feasibility.
- The test showed good viability and reproducibility of results in infants.
- Integration into newborn hearing screening programs is practical.
Conclusions:
- Cervical VEMP is a feasible method for assessing infant vestibular function.
- This approach can be integrated into universal newborn hearing screening.
- It offers a practical solution for large-scale infant balance assessment.
Abstract:
Motor development in infants is dependent upon the function of the inner ear balance organ (vestibular organ). Vestibular failure causes motor delays in early infancy and suboptimal motor skills later on. A vestibular test for newborns and infants that is applicable on a large scale, safe and cost effective is in demand in various contexts: in the differential diagnosis of early onset hearing loss to determine forms associated with vestibular failure; in early hearing habilitation with cochlear implant, indicating the vestibular predominant side; and in the habilitation of children affected by motor skill disorders, revealing the contribution of a vestibular failure. This work explored the feasibility of cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMP) in conjunction with newborn universal hearing screening program. VEMP was measured after the hearing tests and was evoked by bone-conducted stimuli. Moreover, stimulus delivery was regulated by neck muscle activity, with infants rested unconstrained in their parents´ arms and with the head supported by the operator´s hand. This VEMP protocol showed a high level of feasibility in terms of test viability and result reproducibility. VEMP integrated into the newborn hearing screening program may represent a practical method for large-scale assessment of balance function in infants.
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