Objective: The aim of this work is to establish if the vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs) could be used as a clinical test of vestibular function in children.
Materials and methods: Forty normal hearing children, aged between 3 and 15 years, and classified in preschool and scholar group, have been investigated in order to study normal development of vestibular potentials and to define fundamental parameters of VEMPs, establishing normal data of latencies and amplitude ratio. Electromyographic activity of sternocleidomastoid muscle was recorded while children were laid supine on a bed and asked to raise their head off of the bed in order to activate their neck flexors bilaterally. The saccular receptors were acoustically stimulated with a logon of 500Hz at an intensity of 130dB peSPL presented monaurally through earphones. In each recording, we analysed latencies and amplitudes of the p13 and n23 waves and the amplitude ratio between the two ears.
Results: VEMPs were normally detected in all subjects. In preschool group mean p13 and mean n23 latencies were, respectively, 16.13 (+/-2.12)ms and 21.17 (+/-2.77)ms; mean amplitude ratio was 28.49 (+/-18.10). In scholar group mean p13 and n23 were respectively 16.14 (+/-3.48)ms and 21.78 (+/-3.39)ms, while mean amplitude ratio 20.44 (+/-13.24). Comparison of latencies and amplitude ratio between the children groups and control adult group did not showed any significant differences.
Conclusion: In conclusion, VEMPs could represent a valid and non-invasive technique able to investigate vestibular function in children and, in particular, vestibulo collic reflex.