Short latency vestibular evoked potentials.

Abstract

Auditory responses, including the well-characterized auditory brainstem response, have been used extensively in clinical investigations. Evoked responses have not been adequately developed to investigate the vestibular system. The purpose of this study is to describe a new method for the evaluation of short-latency vestibular evoked potentials in human subjects. Standard ABR equipment is used, with a customized solid-state modification of the triggering mechanism. Signal averaging is used to record responses to multiple linear decelerations. Results indicate the presence of a short-latency wave, which is absent in vestibular-deficient subjects. The literature is reviewed and illustrative cases are presented. We believe vestibular evoked potentials are a promising new modality in investigation of vestibular physiology.