Dissociated vestibular test results (caloric and vHIT) in patients with Meniere’s disease are not due to velocity storage malfunction

Abstract

Objectives: In Ménière’s disease, the most frequent finding in vestibular testing is a discrepancy of results. We wanted to know whether this discrepancy could be due to an abnormal central vestibular processing of the signal during the caloric test.

Materials and methods: 50 patients diagnosed with unilateral definite Ménière’s disease were classified according to their results in both tests. All were then compared with 12 normal subjects. The time constant of the nystagmic response and the results in the test was compared in the different groups and multivariate analysis was performed.

Results: The mean time constant and phase lead were only different from results in normal subjects when both the caloric and vHIT results were abnormal.

Conclusion: In unilateral Ménière’s disease, discrepant results in the vHIT and caloric test do not indicate abnormal central vestibular processing of information.

Keywords:

• Meniere’s disease’ vHIT’ caloric test
• rotatory chair testing

Acknowledgments

This work was done with the help of Maria Cruz Betelu and Patricia Rodriguez, technicians of the vestibular laboratory, Belen Andueza, Susana Barrado and Ana Rodriguez of audiology, to whom we are grateful.

Disclosure statement

The authors have no funding, financial relationships, or conflicts of interest to disclose.