Relationship between vestibulo-ocular reflex gain and dizziness handicap inventory score to predict effectiveness of vestibular rehabilitation

Evaluating the effectiveness of vestibular rehabilitation (VR) in patients with vestibular lesions has always been a challenge. The questionnaires that are used for this purpose mostly show the degree of vestibular disability rather than providing information about improvement of vestibular dysfunction. This study aimed to evaluate whether video head impulse test (vHIT) that is used for the examination of vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR), is a useful method for predicting the effectiveness of VR and has a correlation with dizziness handicap inventory (DHI) score.

Participants were 42 patients with unilateral peripheral vestibular hypofunction (UPVH) undergoing VR. Patients were assessed before and after rehabilitation by the vHIT in all ipsilesional and contralesional semicircular can als (SCCs) and the DHI. The changes in DHI score and VOR gain before and after rehabili tation, were shown as ΔDHI and ΔVOR and their correlation was evaluated.

VOR gain from ipsilesional and contralesional SCCs was improved significantly after VR. There was a significant strong negative correlation between ΔVOR gain from ipsilesional SCCs and ΔDHI score but no significant correlation was found between the ΔDHI score and ΔVOR gain from contralesional SCCs.

vHIT test is a useful tool to evaluate the effectiveness of VR. VOR gain is correlated with the DHI score. Therefore, the improvement in vHIT results in all three SCCs after VR may be a good predictor of the degree of improvement in dizziness-related disability.