A Single Fast Test for Semicircular Canal Dehiscence—oVEMP n10 to 4000 Hz—Depends on Stimulus Rise Time

Abstract

As previously reported, a single test measuring oVEMP n10 to 4000 Hz stimuli (bone-conducted vibration (BCV) or air-conducted sound (ACS)) provides a definitive diagnosis of semicircular canal dehiscence (SCD) in 22 CT-verified patients, with a sensitivity of 1.0 and specificity of 1.0. This single short screening test has great advantages of speed, minimizing testing time, and the exposure of patients to stimulation. However, a few studies of the 4000 Hz test for SCD have reported sensitivity and specificity values which are slightly less than reported previously. We hypothesized that the rise time of the stimulus is important for detecting the oVEMP n10 to 4000 Hz, similarly to what we had shown for 500 and 750 Hz BCV. We measured oVEMP n10 in 15 patients with CT-verified SCD in response to 4000 Hz ACS or BCV stimuli with rise times of 0, 1, and 2 ms. As a result, increasing the rise time of the stimulus reduced the oVEMP n10 amplitude. This outcome is expected from the physiological evidence of guinea pig primary vestibular afferents, which are activated by sound or vibration. Therefore, for clinical VEMP testing, short rise times are optimal (preferably 0 ms).