The air caloric test in children: subdivision and statistical analysis of the response

Among a population of 200 children, suffering by dizziness that we examined in the ENT department of the G. Gaslini Institute of Genoa, we acquired and checked, through the statistical analysis, the data of an air caloric test (according to the standard stimulation method) performed in 20 children (resulted normal to neurological, ophtalmological and audiovestibuler examinations which included audiometry, tympanometry, spontaneous, positional and positioning nystagmus research, OKN and caloric tests) and subdivided into 10 s sequences. The statistical analysis of the results obtained showed the following: (1) in both cold and warm air caloric test, the response can be obtained already in the stimulation phase, requiring ENG recording to start at the beginning of stimulation; (2) even in children, response culmination occurs in a period ranging from 60 to 90 s from stimulation onset; therefore the Visual Suppression Test should be performed in this period to obtain more significant data; (3) in cold and warm test, considering SSCs, the response is constant and intense up to 130 and 110 s, respectively, from beginning of ENG recording. After these time ranges, the response is less intense and homogeneous, becoming poor and variable. In our opinion, this allows suspension of recording immediately after these periods without the risk of the excluding significant aspects of the response.