Objective To analyze vestibulo-ocular responses using the video head impulse test in the yaw axis. Study Design Prospective. Setting Tertiary and university hospital. Patients Two hundred twelve healthy subjects with no history of vestibular or neurologic impairment. Intervention Video head impulse test in the lateral semicircular canal plane. Main Outcome Measures Vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) gain and appearance of refixation saccades (RSs) considering sex, age, and head impulse velocity and direction. Results Mean gain was 1.06 ± 0.07, and there were no differences between sexes. For all the impulses (n = 9,654; 4,947 rightward and 4,707 leftward), VOR gain decreased as head impulse velocity increased. When gain was evaluated by age and head velocity, it was steady until age 70 years for higher-velocity impulses and until age 90 years for lower-velocity head impulses. RSs were detected in 52 subjects, occurring after impulses to both sides of the head in 22 of these subjects. The number of subjects with RSs was significantly higher after age 71 years, and velocity was correlated, not with age, but with head impulse velocity. Conclusion VOR gain was stable until age 90 years and thereafter dropped. However, this decrease occurred progressively in younger subjects as head impulse velocity increased, with VOR gain for faster head impulses decreasing significantly in subjects older than 70 years. This finding, in addition to the appearance of RSs, can be explained by the effect of aging on the deterioration of the vestibular system in the semicircular canals.

This paper presents a classification and definitions for types of nystagmus and other oscillatory eye movements relevant to evaluation of patients with vestibular and neurological disorders, formulated by the Classification Committee of the Bárány Society, to facilitate identification and communication for research and clinical care. Terminology surrounding the numerous attributes and influencing factors necessary to characterize nystagmus are outlined and defined. The classification first organizes the complex nomenclature of nystagmus around phenomenology, while also considering knowledge of anatomy, pathophysiology, and etiology. Nystagmus is distinguished from various other nystagmus-like movements including saccadic intrusions and oscillations. View accompanying videos at https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.3233/VES-190658#supplementary-materials

To test the performance of the head-impulse and caloric tests in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and predictive efficiency. This was an open and prospective study conducted at a tertiary care center in which 265 patients were subjected to the head-impulse test and caloric test on the same day. The results of the head-impulse test were considered as normal or pathologic. In a similar way, the caloric test was rated as normal when the difference in canal paresis was less than 22 percent and directional preponderance less than 28 percent, and abnormal if canal paresis was more than 22 percent and/or directional preponderance was more than 28 percent. The results of each test were compared with obtain the specificity, sensitivity, and positive and negative predictive values. A receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve was obtained from the false-alarm rate and the hit rate value of the head impulse test. The specificity of the head impulse test was 0.91 and the sensitivity was 0.45. The positive predictive value was 0.92, the negative predictive value was 0.41, and the area under the ROC curve was 0.866. A canal paresis value of 42.5 percent was considered to be the limit of the normal response, as seen when the head impulse test was used to predict a normal or abnormal result in a given patient. The head impulse test, when used as a bedside test, and the caloric test are by no means redundant methods. The information obtained form both can be used in combination to obtain a better insight into the degree of vestibular dysfunction of patients.