Statistical analyses
Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics software version 26.0 (Armonk, New York, USA). Categorical variables (response rates) were compared by Fisher’s exact test; Pearson’s correlation analysis was performed to analyze the correlation of VEMP parameters between the IEM and control groups. Continuous variables (VEMP parameters) were evaluated by Student’s T-test. A significance level of 0.05 was applied to all analyses.