[Subjective visual horizontal in peripheral unilateral vestibular dysfunction].

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the characteristics of subjective visual horizontal (SVH) and evaluate its clinical value for vestibular function in peripheral unilateral vestibular hypofunction (UVH).

METHODS

Eighty-five patients with UVH (study group) and 39 normal persons (control group) accepted vestibular function tests, including SVH, subjective visual vertical (SVV) and caloric test by video-nystagmography. The parameters of the angle of SVH and SVV, directional preponderance (DP) and unilateral weakness (UW) of caloric test were observed. The correlation between SVH/SVV, DP, UW and the course of disease were investigated respectively. SPSS 16.0 software was used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

Reference range of SVH and SVV was from -2° to 2° in the control group. Among the 85 patients, 46 cases (54.1%) and 43 cases (50.6%) had the abnormal values of SVH and SVV respectively, with no statistical significance (χ(2) = 12.5, P = 0.481) by chi square test. Fifty-five cases (64.7%) with abnormal DP had no statistical significance when compared with SVH and SVV respectively (χ(2) values were 0.19 and 2.86, respectively, P value were 0.164, 0.067, respectively). In UVH, there were positive correlation between SVH, SVV and DP (r value was 0.939, 0.648, 0.658, all P < 0.05) respectively, but no correlation between UW and SVH or SVV (r value was 0.048, 0.085, all P > 0.05). According to the permutation and combination of the four parameters, positive or negative, three main groups could be defined [SVH(+)DP(+)UW(+), SVH(-)DP(+)UW(+), SVH(-)DP(-)UW(+); SVV(+)DP(+)UW(+), SVV(-)DP(+)UW(+), SVV(-)DP(-)UW(+)]. The course of disease in the three main groups was positively skewed distribution, with median of 5.0, 10.0, 15.0 d and 5.0, 9.5, 14.5 d respectively. By Kruskal-Wallis Test, χ(2) value were 8.80 and 6.26, respectively(P value were 0.012, 0.040, respectively), with statistical significance between the above three main groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The SVH value can evaluate the function of the otolithic. The angle of SVH and SVV are changing in the course of disease, SVH and SVV can be used as a guidance of the vestibular compensation evaluation.