Comparison of the video head impulse test results with caloric test in patients with Meniere’s disease and other vestibular disorders

Abstract

Background: The caloric test has been used to evaluate the semi-circular canal function for decades. In 2009, the video head impulse test (vHIT) was introduced, which can be used to evaluate the semi-circular canal function within a short time. Although both tests examine the semi-circular canal, the stimulation methods differ and it is unclear whether the vHIT is equivocal to the caloric test.

Aims/objectives: This study aimed to discern the differences between the vHIT and caloric test.

Material and methods: This study comprised 112 patients with vertigo who visited the vertigo/dizziness centre at our university hospital. Each of these patients underwent a caloric test and vHIT within the same day, and their results were compared. Additionally, an electrocochleography (EcoG) examination, glycerol test (G test), and MRI (performed 4 h after an intravenous gadolinium injection) were conducted to evaluate the influence of endolymphatic hydrops (EH) on the caloric test and vHIT results.

Results: Differences in the caloric test and vHIT results, among those with and without EH, were observed in 66.7 and 35.3% of patients, respectively.

Conclusions and significance: EH resulted in a difference in results between the caloric test and vHIT. Activated hair cell type may also be implicated.

Chinese abstract

背景：热量测试已用于评估半规管功能数十年。 2009年开始使用视频头冲激测试法（vHIT）, 可用于在短时间内评估半规管功能。尽管两种检测方式均检查半规管, 但刺激方法不同, 目前尚不清楚vHIT对热量检查是否可信。

目的：本研究旨在辨别vHIT测试法和热量测试之间的差异。

材料和方法：该研究包括112例眩晕患者, 他们曾到我们大学医院的眩晕症/头晕中心就诊。在同一天对这些患者进行了热量测试和vHIT, 并比较了他们的结果。此外, 还进行了脑电图（EcoG）检查, 甘油测试（G测试）和MRI（静脉注射钆后4小时进行）, 以评估内淋巴积水（EH）对热量测试和vHIT测试结果的影响。

结果：对于有和没有EH的患者, 热量测试和vHIT测试结果的差异分别存在于66.7％和35.3％的患者。

结论和意义：EH导致了热量测试和vHIT的结果差异, 也可能意味着活化的毛细胞类型。

Keywords:

• Caloric test
• video head impulse test
• electrocochleography
• glycerol test
• magnetic resonance imaging
• endolymphatic hydrops

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Professors Shinji Naganawa and Toshiaki Taoka (Department of Radiology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan) for providing technical support. The authors also thank Editage (www.editage.jp) for English language editing.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) KAKENHI Grant Number 18K09354 Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C), AMED under Grant Number 18dk0310092h000, and Health and Labour Sciences Research Grant for Research on Rare and Intractable Diseases (H29-Nanchito (Nan)-Ippan-031) from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan, and Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development.