Preliminary study on cervical vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials tuning changes in acute low-tone sensorineural hearing loss.

Background: Acute low-tone sensorineural hearing loss (ALHL) is frequently associated with endolymphatic hydrops. Cervical vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (cVEMP) have been used to detect saccular hydrops, especially in Meniere's disease, but their role in ALHL is unclear.

Objective: To preliminarily investigate whether cVEMP tuning frequency shifts are associated with hearing outcomes in patients with ALHL.

Methods: This retrospective study analyzed medical records from 29 patients diagnosed with unilateral ALHL between 2016 and 2021. cVEMP testing utilized 500 Hz and 1000 Hz tone bursts, and frequency tuning shifts were assessed using the 1000/500 Hz amplitude ratio. Hearing recovery and recurrence were evaluated during follow-up.

Results: Of 29 patients, 11 (37.9%) exhibited cVEMP tuning shifts (1000/500 Hz ratio ≥ 0.943). Hearing recovery without recurrence occurred in 55% of patients with tuning shifts versus 72% of patients without shifts; however, this difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Multivariable analysis identified older age as the only significant predictor associated with poorer hearing recovery (B = 0.175, SE = 0.081, p = 0.031, OR = 1.191).

Conclusions: This preliminary study found no statistically significant relationship between cVEMP tuning shifts and hearing outcomes in ALHL. However, patients with tuning shifts appeared to have lower hearing recovery rates, which may warrant further investigation in larger prospective studies.