Video head impulse test relevance in the early postoperative period after cochlear implantation

Abstract

Background: Cochlear implantation (CI) is the gold standard therapy for profound or severe sensorineural hearing loss. It is a safe surgical procedure but, because of the proximity of the cochlea and vestibule, postoperative vestibular disorder may occur. Our hypothesis is that the video head impulse test (vHIT) may be a good tool to achieve a topographic diagnosis of dizziness in the early postoperative period after CI.

Aims/Objectives: To evaluate patients with instability, imbalance and vertigo between 7 and 14 days after CI procedure.

Material and methods: A total of 31patients scheduled for unilateral CI were included in this study. vHIT for horizontal semicircular canal was performed before CI and between days 7 to 14 after the surgery.

Results: Six subjects had dizziness complaints after CI: instability (N = 2), imbalance (N = 2) and vertigo (N = 2). The postoperative vHIT test turned abnormal only in subjects with vertigo as compared to the preoperative vHIT test results.

Conclusion and significance: vHIT is a good vestibular function test during the first 2 weeks after CI surgery when vertigo is the main complaint

Chinese abstract

背景：人工耳蜗植入（CI）是治疗重度或重度感音神经性耳聋的黄金标准治疗方法。这是一个安全的外科手术, 但由于耳蜗和前庭相邻, 术后可能会出现前庭问题。我们的假设是, 视频头脉冲测试（vHIT）可能是一个很好的工具, 用来进行形态性诊断CI术后的早期头晕。

目的：检测CI术后7天和14天之间患者的不稳定性、不平衡性和眩晕。

材料与方法：该研究共纳入31例单侧CI患者。在术前、术后7～14天之间进行了水平半规管视频头脉冲测试。

结果：六例患者在CI后出现头晕症状：不稳定（n＝2）、不平衡（n＝2）和眩晕（n＝2）。与术前VHIT测试结果相比, 术后VHIT测试仅在眩晕患者中异常。

结论和意义：对于以眩晕为主要症状的患者, vHIT是CI术后2周之内较好的前庭功能检查方法。

Keywords:

• Cochlear implantation
• video head impulse test
• vertigo

Disclosure statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.