title: An evaluation of the head-shaking nystagmus test.
abstract: Head-shaking nystagmus can be observed in some patients with vestibular lesions. This nystagmus is transient and appears after 15 to 20 cycles of rapid head-shaking. Horizontal head-shaking may be associated with a low-amplitude reversal phase, which follows the primary response. Several previous studies using active head movement have indicated that head-shaking nystagmus is a sensitive indicator of vestibular loss. In this study, the head-shaking nystagmus test using passive head movement was evaluated in 115 patients and 17 control subjects, using three examiners. The data indicate that using passive head movement, the head-shaking nystagmus test is neither sensitive nor specific enough for use as a screening test for vestibular loss.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201.
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Burgio
authors.forename: B W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Blakley
authors.forename: S F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Myers
mesh_terms: D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006257:Head; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009068:Movement; D009760:Nystagmus, Physiologic; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D015837:Vestibular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014724:Vestibular Function Tests