High stimulus rate brainstem auditory evoked potential in benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

The objective of this study is to use high (49/s) and low (9/s) stimulation rates of the BAEP to investigate the possible mechanism responsible for BPPV. A total of 81 patients (55 women and 26 men, mean age ± SD = 54.6 ± 15.0) with idiopathic BPPV, as well as 106 control subjects (70 women and 36 men, mean age ± SD = 51.2 ± 16.3) participated in the study. The results of high (49/s) and low (9/s) stimulation rates of the BAEP test were compared and analyzed. The difference in BAEP wave I peak latencies between low and high stimulation rate (DPL I) and BAEP wave I peak latency in high stimulation (HPL I) of affected ears (0.24 ± 0.14 and 1.91 ± 0.21 ms) in BPPV patients were significantly prolonged when compared with the controls (0.10 ± 0.08 and 1.76 ± 0.18 ms) and unaffected ears (0.12 ± 0.10 and 1.82 ± 0.21 ms) (p < 0.001). The abnormal rate of DPL I in the affected ear (52/83, 62.65 %) was significantly higher than that in the unaffected ear (7/79, 8.86 %) and the normal left ear (4/106, 3.77 %). We suggest that ischemia of the inner ear might be one of the causes of BPPV and that DPL I may be used to assess the ischemic degree in subjects over 20 years old.