Objective: To clarify the extent of the vestibular lesions in idiopathic sudden hearing loss with vertigo using vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs) in response to click (click-VEMP) and galvanic (galvanic-VEMP) stimulation, as well as caloric tests.
Design: Retrospective study.
Setting: University hospital.
Patients: We enrolled 22 patients with idiopathic sudden hearing loss with vertigo in this study. All patients underwent audiometry and click-VEMP and caloric tests. Eight patients underwent a galvanic-VEMP test.
Results: Among the 22 patients, 17 (77%) showed an absence of click-VEMPs on the affected side. In response to caloric testing, 10 patients (45%) showed a decreased response on the affected side. All 8 patients who underwent galvanic-VEMP testing showed normal responses. Most patients with decreased caloric responses (9 [90%] of 10 patients) showed an absence of click-VEMPs, whereas 9 (53%) of the 17 patients who showed abnormal click-VEMPs showed decreased caloric responses. Initial hearing level and hearing outcome significantly correlated with abnormalities on the vestibular test results.
Conclusions: The lesion site of vestibular disorders in idiopathic sudden hearing loss with vertigo appeared to be within the labyrinth on the basis of galvanic-VEMP findings. Results of the click-VEMP and caloric tests suggested that the saccule could be involved more frequently than the semicircular canals. The combined use of click-VEMP and caloric tests is useful for evaluating vestibular functions in idiopathic sudden hearing loss with vertigo because the extent of vestibular abnormalities correlated well with hearing outcome.