Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials of haemodialysed patients with end stage renal disease.

End stage renal disease (ESRD) can cause malfunction of multiple organs, including auditory and vestibular systems. During recent years, a significant amount of research has demonstrated the direct involvement of the otolith organs in stabilizing body and gaze which led to the development of specific functional tests. Stable gaze and body are more important in patients with ESRD, as they have an increased risk of bone fracture. The aim of this study was to investigate saccule and related neural pathways in haemodialysed patients with chronic renal failure. Twenty patients (40 ears) with ESRD were tested for vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMP). Results were compared with those of 16 healthy controls (32 ears). VEMP response was significantly different between subjects and patients with ESRD. There was a significant difference between the presence and absence of VEMP waves in ESRD patient when compared with creatinine levels.