Galvanic vestibular evoked myogenic potentials: normative data and the effect of age

Abstract Introduction: Galvanic vestibular evoked myogenic potentials evaluate vestibular nerve responses using electric stimulation by records collected from the sternocleidomastoid muscle. A normal vestibular evoked myogenic potential response consists of the first positive, P1, and negative, N1, peaks. The response can be affected by factors such as age and gender and is also consequential in the diagnosis of pathologies. Objectives: The present study was performed to obtain normative data on healthy adults, to help in diagnosis by establishing clinical norms as well as to investigate changing test parameters with age in galvanic vestibular evoked myogenic potentials. Methods: A total of 100 healthy participants were included in the study. Galvanic vestibular evoked myogenic potential (current 3 mA, duration 1ms) was performed randomly on both ears of each participant. The participants between the ages of 18-65 (mean age 39.7 ± 13.9) were divided into 5 groups according to their ages. Normative data of galvanic vestibular evoked myogenic potentials parameters were calculated in groups and in total, and age-related changes were examined. Results: The galvanic vestibular evoked myogenic potential waveform was elicited from all participants (200 ears). The latency of P1 and N1 was 7.82 ± 3.29ms and 22.06 ± 3.95 ms, respectively. The P1–N1 amplitude value was 66.64 ± 24.5 μV. The percentage of vestibular asymmetry was 16.29 ±11.99%. The latencies of P1 and N1 and P1–N1 amplitude values demonstrated significant differences among different age groups (p < 0.01). Conclusions: The results of this study show that as age increased, latencies were prolonged, and amplitudes gradually decreased. The normative data aids in the diagnosis of retrolabyrinthine lesions and the increase in the clinical use of galvanic vestibular evoked myogenic potentials.

摘要·引言：直流电前庭诱发肌源性电位（Galvanic Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials）通过电刺激采集胸锁乳突肌的肌电信号，评估前庭神经的响应特性。正常前庭诱发肌源性电位应答包含首个正向峰P1与负向峰N1。该应答可受年龄、性别等因素影响，同时在病理诊断中具有重要临床价值。

研究目的：本研究旨在获取健康成年人的直流电前庭诱发肌源性电位正常值参考数据，通过建立临床标准以辅助临床诊断，并探究该检测参数随年龄的变化规律。

研究方法：本研究共纳入100名健康受试者。对每名受试者的双耳随机实施直流电前庭诱发肌源性电位检测，刺激参数为电流3mA、刺激时长1ms。受试者年龄范围为18~65岁（平均年龄39.7±13.9岁），按年龄分为5组。分别按分组及整体计算直流电前庭诱发肌源性电位各参数的正常值参考数据，并分析其年龄相关变化。

研究结果：所有受试者（共200耳）均可记录到直流电前庭诱发肌源性电位波形。P1峰与N1峰的潜伏期分别为7.82±3.29ms与22.06±3.95ms，P1-N1峰间幅值为66.64±24.5μV，前庭不对称百分比为16.29±11.99%。不同年龄组间P1、N1潜伏期及P1-N1幅值均存在显著统计学差异（p<0.01）。

研究结论：本研究结果显示，随年龄增长，电位潜伏期延长、幅值逐渐降低。本次获取的正常值参考数据有助于迷路后病变的临床诊断，同时可为直流电前庭诱发肌源性电位的临床应用推广提供支持。