The reproducibility of caloric tests of vestibular function in young and old subjects

Abstract

The test-retest repeatability of the hot caloric response alone and of the hot and cold caloric responses combined, was evaluated in 29 subjects, over a 6-month period. The subjects were from two different age groups, 20–30 years (15 subjects) and 65–75 years (14 subjects). Intersubject variability was statistically significant in both age groups, though of greater magnitude in the older subjects. Once a vestibular caloric response baseline was established, for any given subject, there was reasonably reliable test–retest repeatability over time, in both age groups, with coefficients of reliability greater than 0.90.

Key Words:

• caloric repeatability