Postural control after traumatic brain injury in patients with neuro-ophthalmic deficits

Abstract

Postural instability is a common and devastating consequence of traumatic brain injury (TBI). The majority of TBI patients also suffer from neuro-ophthalmic deficits that can be an important contributing element to their sensation of vertigo and dizziness. Static posturography aims at the objective evaluation of patient balance impairment, but is usually affected by large inter- and intra-subject variability. Here we propose a protocol based on 10 randomized trials stimulating in different ways the visual and vestibular systems. Due to its completeness, our protocol highlights the specific residual difficulties of each patient in the various conditions. In this way, it was possible to evidence significant balance abnormalities in TBI patients with respect to controls. Moreover, by means of a multivariate analysis we were able to discriminate different levels of residual neuro-ophthalmic impairment.