Comparing Video Head Impulse Testing in Patients With Acute Vestibular Dysfunction

The video head impulse test (v-HIT) can evaluate the function of all semicircular canals (SCCs) in a short period. In this work, we sought to compare v-HIT results among 2 commercially available devices, the ICS impulse (Otometrics, Denmark) (ICS) and Eye See Cam (Interacoustics, Denmark) (ESC), among individuals with unilateral vestibular disorders.

Retrospective study (n = 15).

St. Marianna University School of Medicine Hospital.

Fifteen patients with acute unilateral vestibular disorders.

Two v-HIT devices were conducted across patients to compare the results of the 2 models.

Gain values and pathological saccades for each SCC were compared across the 2 models. Monothermal caloric testing was performed to compare alongside v-HIT gain values.

There was no difference between the 2 models for the evaluation of the horizontal SCCs. There was a significant negative correlation (ESC: r = -0.52, ICS: r = -0.53) between caloric testing and the gain values of the 2 models. In the vertical SCCs, the gain values of ESC were significantly higher than the gain values of ICS. Detection of catch-up saccades in vertical SCCs was similar across the 2 models.

For the horizontal SCCs, there was no difference in test results between the 2 models. However, in the vertical SCCs, gain values were variable across the 2 devices. Larger scale studies are needed to develop normative ranges for the vertical canals.