title: A Device for the Functional Evaluation of the VOR in Clinical Settings.
abstract: We developed the head impulse testing device (HITD) based on an inertial sensing system allowing to investigate the functional performance of the rotational vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) by testing its gaze stabilization ability, independently from the subject's visual acuity, in response to head impulses at different head angular accelerations ranging from 2000 to 7000 deg/s(2). HITD was initially tested on 22 normal subjects, and a method to compare the results from a single subject (patient) with those from controls was set up. As a pilot study, we tested the HITD in 39 dizzy patients suffering, non-acutely, from different kinds of vestibular disorders. The results obtained with the HITD were comparable with those from the clinical head impulse test (HIT), but an higher number of abnormalities was detectable by HITD in the central vestibular disorders group. The HITD appears to be a promising tool for detecting abnormal VOR performance while providing information on the functional performance of the rotational VOR, and can provide a valuable assistance to the clinical evaluation of patients with vestibular disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Computer and Systems Science, University of Pavia Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ramat
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Colnaghi
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boehler
authors.forename: Serena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Astore
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Falco
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mandalà
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nuti
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Colagiorgio
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Versino