The skull vibration-induced nystagmus test: A useful vestibular screening test in children with hearing loss

Skull-Vibration-Induced-Nystagmus Test (SVINT), a non-invasive first line examination test, stimulates both otolith and canal structures and shows instantaneously a vestibular asymmetry. This study aimed to analyze the SVINT results observed in children with hearing loss (HL) amplified with hearing aids (HA) or unilateral cochlear implant (uCI) and healthy children.

This case-control study compared the results of SVINT, caloric test (CaT) and video head-impulse-test (VHIT) in 120 controls to 30 children with HA and 30 with uCI, aged 5-18 years old. SVINT was recorded with videonystagmography after very high frequency (VHF) stimulation of mastoids and vertex.

SVINT results were non-pathological in 98% of the control group but modified in the HL group (P-value=0.04). In uCI participants, 13.3% had a bilateral weakness (BW) and 16.7% had a unilateral weakness (UW). In the HA group, 26.7% had BW, 10% had UW. SVINT was efficient to show a UW (6 out of 7 confirmed cases) but not efficient to show BW (1/12 confirmed cases).

SVINT can detect unilateral vestibular deficit in the VHF with a sensitivity of 86% and specificity of 96%. The positive predictive value is 75% and negative predictive value is 98%. In the case of bilateral deficit, the SVINT is inoperant. In amplified participants, a UW was equally detected whether using SVINT, CaT or VHIT. SVINT is a well-tolerated and useful test to screen vestibular asymmetry in children with HL when combined with other vestibular tests and shows its complementary at very high frequencies.