AJTMH HINARI
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 81(4), 2009, pp. 551-554
doi:10.4269/ajtmh.2009.09-0191;
Copyright © 2009 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Felipe, L.
Right arrow Articles by Lambertucci, J. R.
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Felipe, L.
Right arrow Articles by Lambertucci, J. R.

Vestibular-Evoked Myogenic Potential (VEMP) in the Evaluation of Schistosomal Myeloradiculopathy

Lilian Felipe, Denise Utsch Gonçalves, Maurício Campelo Tavares, Sílvio Roberto Sousa-Pereira, Carlos Maurício de Figueiredo Antunes, AND José Roberto Lambertucci*
Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical e Departamento de Neurologia, Faculdade de Medicina e Hospital das Clínicas da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Santa Casa de Belo Horizonte, Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Universidade Católica de Pelotas, Escola de Engenharia e Arquitetura, Curso de Engenharia Elétrica, Pelotas, Brazil

Schistosomal myeloradiculopathy (SMR) is the most severe and disabling form of schistosomiasis. The diagnosis is based on clinical, laboratory, and image data. Vestibular-evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) is a neurophysiologic test that assesses the vestibulospinal pathway through acoustic or galvanic stimuli. The aim of this study was to evaluate cervical spinal abnormalities in patients with SMR. Fifty-two subjects were evaluated, of whom 29 had SMR and 30 did not (normal control). Normal VEMP was observed in all volunteers without SMR. Abnormal VEMP was recorded in 34% of the group with SMR. After treatment, abnormal VEMP was found in 80% of those with persistent neurologic abnormalities. VEMP is a functional test, and the alteration may precede image abnormalities. This procedure may be useful for early diagnosis of schistosomal cervical spinal cord involvement.

Received April 14, 2009. Accepted for publication July 11, 2009.

Financial support: This study was partially supported by CNPq-Brazil.

* Address correspondence to José Roberto Lambertucci, Serviço de Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias e Serviço de Neurologia, Hospital das Clínicas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Alfredo Balena, 190, 30130-100, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. E-mail: lamber{at}medicina.ufmg.br

Authors’ addresses: Lilian Felipe, Denise Utsch Gonçalves, Sílvio Roberto Sousa-Pereira, and José Roberto Lambertucci, Serviço de Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias e Serviço de Neurologia, Hospital das Clínicas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Carlos Maurício de Figueiredo Antunes, Santa Casa de Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Maurício Campelo Tavares, Universidade Católica de Pelotas, Escola de Engenharia e Arquitetura, Curso de Engenharia Elétrica, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2009 by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.