Association between vestibular dysfunction and findings of horizontal head-shaking and vibration-induced nystagmus

The association between vestibular function and findings of horizontal head-shaking nystagmus (HHSN) and vibration-induced nystagmus (VIN) tests is not well understood.

To investigate the association between function in the five distinct vestibular end organs and findings of these nystagmus tests.

We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 50 patients with vestibular diseases who underwent HHSN testing, VIN testing, video head impulse testing (vHIT), cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential testing to air-conducted sound (ACS cVEMP) and ocular VEMP testing to ACS (ACS oVEMP). We performed mixed-effects logistic regression analyses to see whether age, sex or the presence of nystagmus in HHSN or VIN have an association with the presence of peripheral vestibular dysfunction on the opposite side to the direction of nystagmus.

The presence of HHSN had a significant association with abnormal vHIT in the lateral semicircular canal (LSCC) on the opposite side to the direction of nystagmus. The presence of VIN had a significant association with abnormal vHIT in all the SCCs and abnormal ACS oVEMP on the opposite side to the direction of nystagmus.

HHSN had an association with LSCC dysfunction alone. VIN had an association with dysfunction in all the SCCs and the utricle.