The vertical computerized rotational head impulse test.

Abstract

The computerized rotational head impulse test (crHIT) uses a computer-controlled rotational chair to deliver whole-body rotational impulses to assess the semicircular canals. The crHIT has only been described for horizontal head plane rotations. The purpose of this study was to describe the crHIT for vertical head plane rotations. In this preliminary study, we assessed four patients with surgically confirmed unilateral peripheral vestibular abnormalities and two control subjects. Results indicated that the crHIT was well-tolerated for both horizontal head plane and vertical head plane stimuli. The crHIT successfully assessed each of the six semicircular canals. This study suggests that the crHIT has the potential to become a new laboratory-based vestibular test for both the horizontal and vertical semicircular canals.