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. 2022 Feb 26;12(2):126-131.
doi: 10.3390/audiolres12020015.

Is Skull Vibration-Induced Nystagmus Useful in Vestibular Neuritis Follow Up?

Ma Piedad García Díaz  1 , Lidia Torres-García  1 , Enrique García Zamora  2 , Ana Belén Castilla Jiménez  1 , Vanesa Pérez Guillén  1
Affiliations

Is Skull Vibration-Induced Nystagmus Useful in Vestibular Neuritis Follow Up?

Ma Piedad García Díaz et al. Audiol Res. .

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) gain and the saccade regrouping pattern PR score of the Video Head Impulse Test (vHIT) and its relationship with the slow-phase velocity (SPV) of skull vibration-induced nystagmus (SVIN) in recovery after a unilateral vestibular loss (UVL). A total of 36 patients suffering from vestibular neuritis (VN) were recruited and followed up for twelve months. In every visit, horizontal vHIT and an SVIN were performed, as well as VOR gain; PR score and the SPV of SVIN were measured. We observed a positive association between the VOR gain difference and the SPV of SVIN over time (probability greater than 0.86). Additionally, we obtained a positive association between the SPV of SVIN and the PR score in successive visits (odds ratio (OR) = -0.048; CI [0.898, 1.01]), with a probability of 0.95. Our results confirm that SPV of SVIN; VOR gain difference; and PR score decrease over time after a UVL. Both tests are useful in the follow-up of VN, as they could reflect its clinical compensation or partial recovery.

Keywords: saccades; skull vibration-induced-nystagmus; unilateral vestibular loss; vestibular; vestibular compensation; vestibular neuritis; vestibulo ocular reflex; video head impulse test.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) gain difference over time. Vertical axis: VOR gain difference. Horizontal axis: time in months. The line shows the value of the VOR gain difference estimate, and the shaded area indicates the confidence interval (IC).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Follow-up of slow phase velocity (SPV) of skull vibration-induced nystagmus (SVIN). Vertical axis: SPV of SVIN at 100 Hz (in the ear affected). Horizontal axis: time in months. The line shows the value of the SVIN SPV estimate, and the shaded area indicate the confidence interval (IC).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Study groups according to SVIN positivity (VIN > 0) or negativity (VIN = 0) at 12 months after vestibular neuritis (VN) and their VOR gain difference.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Study groups according to SVIN positivity (VIN > 0) or negativity (VIN = 0) at 12 months after VN and their value of PR score.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Association between VOR gain difference and SPV of SVIN. Vertical axis: VOR gain difference. Horizontal axis: SPV of SVIN at 100 Hz (in the ear affected). Green line: one month after episode of VN. Orange line: six months after episode of VN. Purple line: twelve months after episode of VN. We can observe that the difference of VOR gain and the SPV of SVIN at 100 Hz decrease as over time.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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