Vestibular nerve functions in children with auditory neuropathy.

In disorders affecting the cochlear nerve it is highly probable that the vestibular nerve is involved as well. The caloric test and VEMP (vestibular evoked myogenic potentials) enable a separate evaluation of the inferior and superior vestibular nerve. In the present study we evaluated the inferior and superior vestibular nerves in three children with auditory neuropathy. Electrophysiological tests, VEMP and caloric tests were carried out in these three cases with the preliminary diagnosis of auditory neuropathy. Magnetic resonance imaging was obtained which revealed an intact cochlear nerve in all three patients. The caloric tests were all normal, while in two out of the three cases the VEMP test yielded abnormal results. Since the caloric test may prove abnormal as well, as reported in the literature, it would be valuable to carry out both of the tests in the vestibular evaluation of children with auditory neuropathy, in our opinion.