title: One-year vestibular and balance outcomes of Oklahoma City bombing survivors.
abstract: This multisite investigation assessed subjective, behavioral, and objective balance function in 30 blast survivors. Subjects with vertigo, dizziness, or imbalance were screened (n = 6) or evaluated (n = 27) during 1 year. Tests included a questionnaire, electronystagmography (ENG), and computerized dynamic posturography (CDP). Ninety-seven percent of subjects were located inside a building during the blast, and 63 percent of subjects experienced dysequilibrium within 48 hours. Forty-three percent of symptoms could not be attributed to head injury. Sixty percent of subjects had abnormal ENG and/or CDP; ENG abnormalities mostly were peripheral or nonlocalizing, whereas CDP patterns were "vestibular," "surface dependent," and "physiologically inconsistent." At 1-year postblast, 55 percent of initially abnormal CDP results were normal, and 72 percent of subjects said symptoms were unchanged or occurred intermittently. A serial, test battery approach is recommended to assess symptoms. Blast-related dysequilibrium had clinically significant manifestations and should be considered a valid component of aural blast injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Oklahoma School of Medicine, Oklahoma City, USA.
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Van Campen
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Dennis
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Hanlin
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Velderman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002150:Caloric Tests; D004244:Dizziness / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D004584:Electronystagmography; D005260:Female; D006317:Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced / Q000150:complications; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009825:Oklahoma; D011187:Posture; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*; D015837:Vestibular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D014724:Vestibular Function Tests