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An Idiopathic Case Confirming the Origin and Pathway of Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials in Humans

Ken Ito, MD; Shin-ichi Ishimoto, MD; Toshihisa Murofushi, MD

Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2001;127:275-278.

Objective  To confirm the origin and pathway of vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs) in humans.

Design  Case study.

Setting  University hospital.

Patient  A patient with a narrow internal auditory meatus (IAM).

Main Outcome Measures  Imaging studies and functional studies concerning the seventh and eighth cranial nerves.

Results  Of the 4 nerves in the IAM, all but the cochlear nerve had normal function and normal courses, despite the pronounced narrowing of the IAM. The facial nerve had a normal diameter, but the vestibular nerves were thinner. Imaging revealed that the cochlear nerve was absent or extremely thinned. Both the cochlea and the cochlear nerve showed no function in the affected ear, although the VEMPs were evoked normally.

Conclusion  Our results definitively support the vestibular origin of VEMPs in humans.

From the Department of Otolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.

Corresponding author and reprints: Ken Ito, MD, Laboratoire EMI 99-27 INSERM, CHU Hôpital Pellegrin, Bâtiment PQR entrée 3, 2ème étage, Place Amélie Raba Léon, 33076 Bordeaux, France (e-mail: itoken-tky{at}umin.ac.jp).

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