Clinical trial NCT01426932: The Head Impulse Test in the Screening of Vestibular Function
Official title: The Head Impulse Test in the Screening of Vestibular Function
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: UNKNOWN
Conditions: Vertigo
Keywords: Vestibular Function Tests
Caloric Test
Electronystagmography
Prediction
Lead sponsor: Meir Medical Center
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Clalit Health Services, Haifa and West Galilee
First posted: 2011-09-01
Enrollment: 50
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Observational model: COHORT
Time perspective: PROSPECTIVE
Sampling method: NON_PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: Tertiary center patients

Brief summary: The alternate binaural bithermal caloric test (ABBT) is a well established examination in the evaluation of the dizzy patient. ABBT is useful in detecting the side of peripheral vestibulopathy by stimulating each ear separately, it contributes to the diagnosis of bilateral vestibular involvement when all responses to cold and warm stimuli are reduced, and adds to the differentiation of peripheral from central vestibular involvement by measuring the fixation-induced inhibition of the caloric response. In spite of these benefits, ABBT is the most time-consuming part of the electronystagmography/Videonystagmography (ENG/VNG) test battery, and frequently causes significant inconvenience to the patient due to the repeated extreme vestibular stimuli.

The head impulse test (HIT) assesses vestibular function by brisk, passive rotations of the head in the plane of the examined semicircular canals. Whenever the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) is deficient, this maneuver would produce catch-up saccades aiming to the re-fixation of the eyes on the target. Hence, both residual VOR and catch-up saccades act synergistically to stabilize gaze. The HIT requires only several minutes and might cause minimal discomfort only.

The study hypothesis is that the HIT recorded by standard VNG equipment of the VNG system would provide diagnostic information on the side of vestibular involvement matching that of the ABBT.


Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Age \> 18 years
* Videonystagmography(VNG) test battery is indicated for the diagnosis of dizziness or vertigo

Exclusion Criteria:

* Signs of retrocochlear lesion or central vestibular pathology in bed-side otoneurological examination or audiometry or ENG/VNG
* Age \< 18 years
* Otitis externa
* Otitis media
* Tympanic membrane perforation
* Status Post Mastoidectomy
* Limitations of neck movements in the horizontal plain

Primary outcomes:
measure: Sensitivity of the recorded HIT results in the prediction of the caloric test lateralization parameter
timeFrame: 18 months
measure: Specificity of the VNG recorded HIT results in the prediction of the caloric test lateralization parameter
timeFrame: 18 months
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Sensitivity of the bed-side HIT examination results in the prediction of the caloric test lateralization parameter
timeFrame: 18 months
measure: Specificity of the bed-side HIT examination results in the prediction of the caloric test lateralization parameter
timeFrame: 18 months
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Haifa
country: Israel
facility: Otoneurology Unit, Lin Medical Center, 35 Rotchild Avenue
Study officials:
References: