Comparison of three diagnostic tests in detecting vestibular deficit in patients with peripheral vestibulopathy

AbstractObjectives:This study aimed to evaluate the results of the video head impulse test and of the caloric and rotatory chair tests in patients with dizziness. Agreement between test results was assessed and the best protocol for detecting peripheral vestibulopathy was identified.Methods:Participants comprised 116 patients, 75 with a peripheral vestibulopathy and 41 with non-peripheral vestibulopathy. The main outcome measures were classified as normal or abnormal according to our laboratory data.Results:Agreement between tests was low. Vestibulopathy testing that required all three results to be abnormal had a sensitivity of 0.547, a specificity of 0.878, and positive and negative predictive values of 0.891 and 0.514, respectively. Vestibulopathy testing that required just one result to be abnormal had a sensitivity of 0.933, a specificity of 0.292, and positive and negative predictive values of 0.701 and 0.705, respectively.Conclusion:In peripheral vestibulopathy, there was weak concordance in the assessment of horizontal semicircular canal function among the different tests. However, the video head impulse test had sufficient statistical power to be recommended as the first-line test.

Download Full-text

Bilateral Vestibular Hypofunction in the Time of the Video Head Impulse Test

Audiology and Neurotology ◽

10.1159/000504286 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 25 (Suppl. 1-2) ◽

pp. 72-78

Author(s):

Nicolás Pérez-Fernández ◽

Laura Alvarez-Gomez ◽

Raquel Manrique-Huarte

Keyword(s):

Head Impulse Test ◽

Video Head Impulse Test ◽

Test Results ◽

Bilateral Vestibulopathy ◽

Similar Time ◽

Head Impulse ◽

Vestibular Hypofunction ◽

Number Of Patients ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Bilateral Vestibular Hypofunction

Objectives: Bilateral vestibulopathy is a clinical syndrome in which laboratory testing plays a crucial diagnostic role. We aimed to establish the frequency of detection of that finding in a tertiary level hospital considering the new methods of laboratory vestibular examination nowadays in use, with respect to the conventional caloric and rotatory chair test approaches. Design: Two similar time periods (5 years) were retrospectively evaluated, and the demographic, clinical data and test results from 4,576 patients were reviewed. In the first period, the diagnosis was based on caloric and rotatory chair tests and, in the second, on the video head impulse test. Results: Of the patients included, 3.77% in the first period and 4.58% in the second met the criteria for bilateral vestibular hypofunction; there was no significant difference between both periods. Conclusions: The functional vestibular evaluation to detect bilateral deficiency makes no significant difference to the number of patients diagnosed with a bilateral vestibulopathy. New diagnostic categories probably depend not only on the availability and accessibility of complete vestibular and visual-vestibular evaluation, but also on recent advances in defining vestibular disorders. Bilateral vestibular hypofunction manifests with very different patterns. Progress in more detailed definition (clinical and laboratory) is needed, in particular when all 6 semicircular canals and both maculae are available for testing.

Download Full-text