Using Functional Outcomes to Predict Vestibular Loss in Children

Clinical Utility of Remote Camera Video Head Impulse Testing Children Less Than 3 Years

The purpose of this case report is to highlight both the feasibility and clinical utility of remote camera video head impulse testing (vHIT) in children <3 years. Five cases are described where remote camera vHIT was used to quantify ear specific semicircular function in children at risk for vestibular dysfunction. Remote camera vHIT is a helpful clinical tool for quantifying ear specific semicircular function in children between 6 and 31 months. Remote camera vHIT is feasible and provides ear specific information regarding semicircular canal function, which can be used to augment or validate the presence of vestibular dysfunction in children <3 years. Laryngoscope, 2024.

Mechanisms and Impact of Aminoglycoside-Induced Vestibular Deficits

PURPOSE

Acquired vestibulotoxicity from hospital-prescribed medications such as aminoglycoside antibiotics affects as many as 40,000 people each year in North America. However, there are no current federally approved drugs to prevent or treat the debilitating and permanent loss of vestibular function caused by bactericidal aminoglycoside antibiotics. This review will cover our current understanding of the impact of, and mechanisms underlying, aminoglycoside-induced vestibulotoxicity and highlight the gaps in our knowledge that remain.

CONCLUSIONS

Aminoglycoside-induced vestibular deficits have long-term impacts on patients across the lifespan. Additionally, the prevalence of aminoglycoside-induced vestibulotoxicity appears to be greater than cochleotoxicity. Thus, monitoring for vestibulotoxicity should be independent of auditory monitoring and encompass patients of all ages from young children to older adults before, during, and after aminoglycoside therapy.

The effects of vestibular dysfunction on balance and self-concept in children with cochlear implants

OBJECTIVES

Children with cochlear implants (CCI) have an increased rate of vestibular dysfunction. Vestibular dysfunction is associated with decreased balance and dynamic visual acuity ability. Hearing loss alone is associated with reduced speech perception and vocabulary in children. In adults, vestibular dysfunction is associated with reduced quality of life; however, similar relationships have not been studied in children with vestibular dysfunction. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of hearing loss and vestibular dysfunction on self-concept in CCI (n = 33) compared to children with normal hearing (CNH, n = 38). It was hypothesized that children with vestibular dysfunction would have reduced self-concept beyond that from hearing loss, secondary to the presence of balance and visual acuity deficits.

METHODS

The Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale - 2, speech perception, vocabulary, video head impulse test (vHIT), rotary chair, balance using the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOT-2), and dynamic visual acuity (DVA) testing were completed on all participants.

RESULTS

In the 34 CCI, 24 had normal vestibular function, 6 had unilateral vestibular dysfunction, and 4 had bilateral vestibular dysfunction. There were no significant mean differences in the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale - 2 between groups. A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was conducted on the predictor variables (average horizontal canal vHIT gain, BOT-2 score, DVA, speech perception, and vocabulary) resulting in two factors; factor 1 represented "vestibular" components (vHIT, BOT-2, and DVA) and factor 2 represented "auditory-language" components (speech perception and vocabulary). In addition to age and gender, the 2 PCA factors were analyzed using multivariate regression with stepwise selection to determine which factors best predicted self-concept. The PCA auditory-language factor was the only significant predictor of self-concept.

CONCLUSIONS

Auditory-language, not vestibular related factors, contribute to the self-concept of CCI. While adults with vestibular dysfunction have reduced quality of life, it could be that children with vestibular dysfunction have some psychosocial resilience.

Vestibular Loss in Children Affected by LVAS and IP2 Malformation and Operated with Cochlear Implant

This is a single center cohort study regarding the prevalence of vestibular loss in hearing impaired children affected by large vestibular aqueduct syndrome (LVAS) with incomplete cochlear partition malformation type II (IP2), fitted with cochlear implant (CI). Twenty-seven children received CI operations at 0.4-13 years on one or both ears and tested for vestibular loss with head impulse test, video head impulse test, mini ice-water test and cervical VEMP. Vestibular loss was found in 19% of operated ears and in 13.9% of non-operated ears. The difference was not statistically significant and was not significantly modified by age at implantation, age at testing, sex, presence of SLC26A4 gene mutation or bilaterality. However, the presence of anatomic anomalies at the level of the vestibulum or semicircular canals was significantly associated with a higher incidence of vestibular loss in CI operated children but not in those non-operated. No other factors, such as the surgical access, the electrode type, the presence of Gusher perioperatively, or post-operative vertigo modified significantly the prevalence of vestibular loss. In conclusion, LVAS/IP2 appears to be the major determinant of vestibular loss in these children, with a less obvious impact of CI, excluding the cases with vestibulum/canal anomalies: this group might have a higher risk for vestibular loss after CI surgery.

Stability of Vestibular Testing in Children With Hearing Loss

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the stability of rotary chair, video head impulse test (vHIT), and vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) responses in children with normal hearing (NH) and children with cochlear implants (CIs).

METHOD

Retrospective analysis of 66 children (33 males, M _age = 11.4 years, range: 3-18 years) seen in a tertiary clinic and/or research laboratory who completed rotary chair, VEMP, and vHIT across two test sessions between 2012 and 2019. The stability of these measures was compared between two groups: children with NH (n = 35) and children with CI (n = 31). For each outcome, the session difference was calculated by subtracting Session 1 from Session 2.

RESULTS

For rotary chair (gain and phase) and vHIT (gain), linear mixed-effects models revealed that there were no significant interactions or main effects for group (CI vs. NH), time between session, gender, or age on the session difference, suggesting that the outcomes of these measures are stable across sessions. For cervical and ocular VEMP amplitude, there was a significant interaction between group and time between sessions on the session difference. Specifically, children with NH demonstrated larger amplitudes at Session 2, whereas children with CI demonstrated smaller amplitudes at Session 2. Next, test findings were classified as normal, unilaterally abnormal, or bilaterally abnormal for Sessions 1 and 2. Misclassification was defined as a mismatch of classification between sessions. Rotary chair and vHIT had the fewest misclassifications, whereas cervical VEMPs had the most misclassifications in children with CI and ocular VEMPs had the most misclassifications in children with NH. Misclassifications in children with CI were mostly consistent with progressive vestibular loss, whereas misclassifications in children with NH were mostly consistent with improved vestibular function.

CONCLUSIONS

Stability and misclassification rates varied between tests and groups. Overall, rotary chair and vHIT outcomes were stable in both groups; however, VEMPs differentially changed between groups, improving in children with NH and declining in children with CI. Furthermore, despite relative stability, some children with CI evidenced progressive vestibular loss on all measures suggesting that vestibular testing should be completed serially due to the possibility of progression.

Cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials in 3-month-old infants: Comparative characteristics and feasibility for infant vestibular screening

Objective

We compared the characteristics of air-conducted sound cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential (ACS-cVEMP) and bone-conducted vibration cVEMP (BCV-cVEMP) among 3-month-old infants with normal hearing and sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), and healthy adults to explore the feasibility and optimal strategies for infant vestibular screening.

Methods

29 infants (58 ears) were divided into two groups according to hearing (group I: normal hearing ears; group II: SNHL ears), 20 healthy adults were defined as group III. The results of response rate, P13 and N23 latency, P13-N23 interval, amplitudes, and corrected interaural asymmetry ratio (IAR) were recorded and compared among three groups.

Results

The response rates of ACS-cVEMP in three groups were 88.89, 62.00, 100%, respectively. The P13 and N23 latencies, and P13-N23 interval did not differ significantly between group I and II (p = 0.866, p = 0.190, p = 0.252). A significant difference was found between group I and III (p = 0.016, p &lt; 0.001, p &lt; 0.001). No significant difference was observed in raw or corrected amplitude between group I and II (p = 0.741, p = 0.525), while raw and corrected amplitudes in group III were significantly larger than group I (p &lt; 0.001, p &lt; 0.001). For BCV-cVEMP, the response rates in three groups were 100, 86.36, 100%, respectively, No significant difference existed in the P13 and N23 latency, or P13-N23 interval between group I and II (p = 0.665, p = 0.925, p = 0.806), however, P13 and N23 latencies were significantly longer in group III than group I (p &lt; 0.001, p = 0.018), but not in P13-N23 interval (p = 0.110). There was no significant difference in raw or corrected amplitude between group I and II (p = 0.771, p = 0.155) or in raw amplitude between group I and III (p = 0.093), however, a significant difference existed in corrected amplitude between group I and III (p &lt; 0.001).

Conclusions

Compared with adults, 3-month-old infants with normal hearing presented with equivalent response rates, shorter P13 and N23 latencies, smaller corrected amplitudes, and a wider IAR range for both ACS and BCV-cVEMP. SNHL infants had equivalent response rates of BCV-cVEMP, lower response rates of ACS-cVEMP than normal hearing infants. When responses were present, characteristics of ACS and BCV-cVEMP in SNHL infants were similar with normal hearing infants. ACS combined with BCV-cVEMP are recommended to improve the accuracy of vestibular screening.