Testing for vestibular function Flashcards
Components of a vestibular exam
- history and systems review: look for red flags
- subjective outcome measures: DHI, ABC
- vitals, strength, ROM, coordination, sensation, targeted tests
- screen cervical spine, VAT as appropriate
- oculomotor exam
- balance and gait: DGI/FGA
- positional testing
History and subjective portion
- common questions: symptoms, timing, triggers
- helps differentiate central vs peripheral
- red flags for central, cardiac
- if peripheral suspected, differential diagnosis is UVH, vs BVH vs distorted vs fluctuating
Identification of symptoms to determine diagnosis
- Dizziness: vague… could mean any of the below
- Vertigo: illusion of spinning
- Lightheadedness: faintness, presyncope
- Dysequilibirum: off balance
- Oscillopsia: perceived motion of stationary objects in visual environment
not as reliable
Characterization of symptoms to determine a dx
- Timing: episodic lasting seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks OR continuous with exacerbation lasting how long?
- Triggers: spontaneous OR head motion or visual motion provoked?
- Hearing: involvement of auditory system, e.g. tinnitus, pressure, progressive or fluctuating hearing loss?
UVH vs BVH differential diagnosis
- Recent ear infection? vestibular neuritis, labyrinthitis
- Surgery near the ear? Vestibular schwannoma resection, labyrinthectomies
- Skew deviation of eye? UVH
- Use of antibiotics or h/o chemo? BVH
- Hearing loss? bilateral if BVH due to ototoxicity, unilateral if UVH due to labyrinthitits or surgery
- VOR disturbed? lesion side UVH, bilaterally in BVH
- Nystagmus? spontaneous nystagmus from UVH resolves in few days, none with BVH
- Vertigo? UVH 2˚ unequal signals
- Oscillopsia? BVH more likely
- LOB? more pronounced in BVH, only with faster motions toward lesioned side in UVH
Oculomotor exam
Observation for spontaneous nystagmus
- smooth pursuit: issue with smoothness = central
- gaze holding
- vergence: abnormal = >2-3 cm from face/not converging smoothly or at all = central lesion
- saccades: not accurate/timing = central lesion
direction changing nystagmus wiht the direction you are asking them to look at = central lesion/red flag
Peripheral nystagmus
peripheral nystagmus will always go the same direction and follow Alexander’s law (i.e. it will be accentuated if patient looks toward the fast phases, which are toward the more neurally active side).
VOR testing
- Head Impulse Test (HIT)
- Dynamic Visual Acuity (DVA)
- VOR cancellation
- Head-Shaking Induced Nystagmus (HSN)
head impulse test
- Tilt pt’s head forward 30º.
- Pt told to maintain visual fixation on your nose as you move pt’s head unpredictably through a small (30º) amplitude, high velocity head turn.
- If pt’s eyes fall off your nose, requiring a corrective saccade to refixate, the test is positive for that side.
Dynamic Visual acuity
- Pt reads lowest line possible on eye chart.
- PT moves pt’s head side to side at 2 Hz while pt repeats test.
- Normal result is < 3 lines decrement between static to dynamic visual acuity.
- Used to measure gaze stability in vestibular hypofunction and central disorders.
VOR cancellation
- Tilt pt’s head forward 30º.
- Move yourself and pt’s head in the same direction side to side 30º.
Pt should maintain fixation on your nose. - If pt unable to maintain fixation/ makes saccadic eye movements, test is positive for central lesion.
Tests performed with fixation blocked
- spontaneous nystagmus
- gaze-holding nystagmus
- head-shaking nystagmus
Head shaking nystagmus
- pts head is oscillated horizontally 20 x at2 Hz
- if this elicits nystagmus > 2 beats suggests vestibular asymmetry between the two horizonal canals
Balance and gait
- gait analysis including velocity
- TUG
- modified CTSIB
- DGI or FGA
- consider rhomberg, sharpened rhomberg, single leg stance
Positional testing
- includes: Dix-hallpike and Roll test
- better with fixation removed but can be performed in room light
- essential to diagnosis of BPPV
- each test is designed to place a specific canal in gravity dependent position
- differential dx depends on: provoking test, direction of nystagmus
- onset and duration of symptoms