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Vestibular assessment in children aged zero to twelve years: an integrative review
Danielle Samara Bandeira Duarte1, Anna Marial de Lira Cabral2, Diana Babini Lapa de Albuquerque Britto3
1Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, PE, Brazil.
Insights
Vestibular assessment in children (0-12 years) commonly uses rotational tests, caloric stimulation, and cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential. Hearing loss is a primary reason for referral, highlighting the importance of these vestibular function tests.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Otolaryngology
- Neurology
Background:
- Vestibular dysfunction can significantly impact a child's development and quality of life.
- Early identification and assessment of vestibular function are crucial for timely intervention.
- Understanding common referral causes and assessment methods aids clinicians in pediatric vestibular care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and describe the primary vestibular assessment tests used in children aged 0-12 years.
- To outline the most frequent reasons for referring children for vestibular evaluation.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive literature review was conducted across major databases (PubMed, Web of Science, SciELO, LILACS, ScienceDirect, Cochrane, Embase).
- Search terms included pediatric age groups and various vestibular screening and testing methodologies.
- The PVO (Population, Variable, Outcome) strategy guided the systematic review process.
Main Results:
- Rotational tests, caloric stimulation, and cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential (cVEMP) were the most frequently employed vestibular assessment tests.
- Hearing loss and the need for general vestibular screening were the predominant causes for referral in children.
- A total of 31 articles were included after a rigorous screening of over 7,000 studies.
Conclusions:
- Rotary chair testing, caloric stimulation, and cVEMP are essential for vestibular screening and assessment in children aged 0-12 years.
- Vestibular dysfunction is prevalent in this pediatric population, underscoring the importance of these diagnostic procedures.
- Accurate vestibular assessment facilitates appropriate management and support for children with balance and hearing issues.
Objective:
To describe the main vestibular assessment tests performed in children aged zero to twelve years and the main causes of referral for vestibular assessment.
Methods:
The review was guided by the following question: What are the main vestibular assessment tests performed in children aged zero to twelve years and the main causes of referral for vestibular assessment? The PVO strategy was used, being defined as: Population (P) - newborns and children; study Variable (V) - causes of referral for vestibular assessment; study Outcome (O): the main vestibular assessment tests and the main findings. This study was carried out using the main available databases in the months of July, August and September 2021, with no restrictions regarding language and publication date, namely: PubMed, Web of Science, Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), Latin-American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences (LILACS), ScienceDirect, Cochrane Library and Embase. The descriptors were obtained from the MeSH database: newborn, infant, child, children, vestibular screening, vestibular infant screening, vestibular newborn screening, test, vestibular function, vestibular function test.
Results:
A total of 7,078 studies were identified. After reading the titles and abstracts, 107 of them were selected, with 101 remaining after the exclusion of duplicates. After the full-text reading, 31 articles were included. It was observed that the most frequently used tests were: rotational tests, caloric stimulation and cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential and the main causes of referral for vestibular evaluation were hearing loss and vestibular screening.
Conclusion:
The main tests for vestibular screening and/or assessment of children aged zero to twelve years are the rotary chair testing, caloric stimulation and cervical-vestibular evoked myogenic potential. Consequently, performing these procedures is extremely important, since the presence of vestibular dysfunction is quite common in the studied population.
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