title: Benign paroxysmal vertigo of childhood: diagnostic value of vestibular test and high stimulus rate auditory brainstem response test.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the diagnostic value of vestibular test and high stimulus rate auditory brainstem response (ABR) test and the possible mechanism responsible for benign paroxysmal vertigo of childhood (BPVC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Data of 56 patients with BPVC in vertigo clinic of our hospital from May 2007 to September 2008 were retrospectively analyzed in this study. Patients with BPVC were tested with pure tone audiometry, high stimulus rate auditory brainstem response test (ABR), transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD), bithermal caloric test, and VEMP. The results of the hearing and vestibular function test were compared and analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 56 patients with BPVC, including 32 men, 24 women, aged 3-12 years old, with an average of 6.5 years. Among 56 cases of BPVC patients, the results of pure tone audiometry were all normal. High stimulus rate ABR was abnormal in 66.1% (37/56) of cases. TCD showed 57.1% abnormality in 56 cases, including faster flow rate in 28 cases and slower flow rate in 4 cases. High stimulus rate ABR and TCD were both abnormal in 48.2% (27/56) of cases. Bithermal caloric test was abnormal in 14.3% (8/56) of cases. VEMP showed 32.1% abnormality, including amplitude abnormality in 16 cases and latency abnormality in 2 cases. The abnormal rate of VEMP was much higher than that of caloric test.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Vascular mechanisms might be involved in the pathogenesis of BPVC and there is strong evidence for close relationship between BPVC and migraine. High stimulus rate ABR is helpful in the diagnosis of BPVC. The inferior vestibular pathway is much more impaired than the superior vestibular pathway in BPVC.
authors: Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, PR China.
authors: Daogong
authors: D
authors: Zhang
authors: Zhaomin
authors: Z
authors: Fan
authors: Yuechen
authors: Y
authors: Han
authors: Mingming
authors: M
authors: Wang
authors: Lei
authors: L
authors: Xu
authors: Jianfen
authors: J
authors: Luo
authors: Yu
authors: Y
authors: Ai
authors: Haibo
authors: H
authors: Wang
mesh_terms: D065635:Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo; D002150:Caloric Tests / Q000379:methods; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods*; D004584:Electronystagmography / Q000379:methods*; D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012016:Reference Values; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017585:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial; D014717:Vertigo / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014724:Vestibular Function Tests