Test–Retest Reliability of Repetitive Ocular Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials in Myasthenia Gravis Patients and Healthy Control Subjects

Abstract

Purpose:

Repetitive ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (ROVEMP) are a novel diagnostic test to quantify neuromuscular transmission deficits in extraocular muscles in myasthenia gravis. We aimed to investigate the test–retest reliability of the ROVEMP and the effect of amplitude and age.

Methods:

We performed the ROVEMP test twice in 19 patients with myasthenia gravis (52.7 ± 19.8 years) and in 15 healthy control subjects (46.5 ± 16 years). The Bland–Altman level of agreement was determined. The relationship between test–retest reliability and signal quality, participant age and signal amplitude was studied.

Results:

Limits of agreement were from −179.9 to 139.3 in myasthenia gravis patients and from −56.9 to 89.5 in healthy control subjects. Difference between measurements correlated with signal amplitude (r = −0.50, P < 0.001). Combining the primary cohort with previously published data from 114 subjects, we found a significant negative correlation between age and reference amplitude (r = −0.163, P = 0.045).

Conclusions:

This study shows that in our hands, the test–retest reliability of the ROVEMP is not optimal. Measurements with higher reference amplitude had a better quality, higher reproducibility, and increased diagnostic yield. We caution against the use of ROVEMP measurements of lower amplitude in clinical practice. In addition, given the correlation between age and amplitude, age matching of healthy control subjects and patients is essential in future studies.