Quality of Large-Scale Video Head Impulse Test Data: The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA)...

Area of Science:

• Vestibular neurophysiology
• Ophthalmology
• Neurology

Background:

• The video head impulse test (vHIT) is a key diagnostic tool for assessing vestibular function.
• Ensuring data quality from vHIT is essential for accurate clinical interpretation and research.
• The feasibility of using non-specialist personnel for vHIT data collection requires evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the quality and agreement of vHIT data collected by novice technicians versus experienced audiologists.
• To assess the impact of data cleaning on the interpretation of vHIT results.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 464 participants from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study underwent vHIT.
• Novice technicians, after a 2-hour virtual training, collected vHIT data.
• Experienced audiologists re-reviewed all collected data for quality and artifact presence.

Main Results:

• The majority of ears (88.7%) were classified as normal.
• High gain was the most frequent artifact observed.
• Data cleaning improved the detection of saccades and altered the interpretation for 1.7% of participants.

Conclusions:

• Novice technicians can successfully administer vHIT with appropriate training and practice.
• Targeted training on artifact identification and data cleaning enhances the reliability of population-based vHIT data.