VESTIBULAR MYOGENIC EVOKED POTENTIAL (VEMP)

Abstract

The peripheral vestibular system senses linear and angular accelerations. The semicircular canals perceive the angular acceleration while the otolithic organs: the utricle and the saccule, perceive the linear accelerations and, in addition, respond to acoustic stimuli.

Faced with an intense sound, the utricle generates a contraction of some extraocular muscles and the saccule produces a relaxation of the sternocleidomastoid muscle.

In the early 1990s, it was shown that it is possible to measure the Evoked Myogenic Potential of the sternocleidomastoid muscle from acoustic or vibratory stimulation of the labyrinth, thus giving rise to Vestibular Myogenic Evoked Potentials (Vemps).

Vemps are vestibular tests. They constitute an objective, non-invasive and rapid test that allows evaluating the state of the saccule and the inferior vestibular pathways: inferior vestibular nerve, lateral vestibular nucleus, ipsilateral vestibulospinal tract up to the cervical musculature. By registering cervical Vemps (cVemps) and ocular Vemps (oVemps), it is possible to obtain clinical information on utricular and saccular functions separately, allowing effective and specific access to the diagnosis and appropriate treatment of vestibular pathology.