Clinical Value of Vestibular Office Tests in Assessment of Pediatric Population

Abstract

first orientating, the bedside vestibular tests are simply applied tests, which require no special devices, could provide information help the clinician to localize the site of the lesion. And can be performed in small children at a regular outpatient clinic. There is an information deficiency of norms regarding balance skills in young children. The aims of study were to develop normative data of bedside vestibular tests in children and to assess applicability of bedside vestibular tests in children.The study included 100 children; group 1 comprised of 80 children who had neither hearing loss nor balance impairment and group 2 comprised of 20 children who suffer severe to profound SNHL, both groups were matching as regards age and gender. All children underwent the following :(1) full history taking;(2) bedside vestibular tests included vestibule-ocular reflex test(VOR test, VOR suppression test, Head shake test and Head thrust test), vestibulospinal reflex tests(Romberg′s test, Sharpened Romberg’s test, Fukuda test, mCTSIB test and BOT-2 test)and oculomotor test(Range of movement, Saccadic test, Smooth pursuit and Gaze holding nystagmus).(3) Questionnaire answered by child’s parents (4) Basic audiological evaluation in children with sensorineural hearing loss.