Table 3.
Studies addressing central neurological conditions (Cerebral palsy and traumatic brain injury).
| References | Country | Study design | Participants | Age | Etiology and severity | Comorbidities | Vestibular assessment tools | Main results, outcomes and prevalence | NCO score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akbarfahimi et al. (44) | Iran | Case Control | Group 1: 31 children with spastic CP Group 2: 31 healthychildren |
Age range: 7–12 y.o Group 1 mean age: 8.7 y.o. Group 2 mean age: 8.77y.o |
Spastic CP—functional levels of I or II (GMFCS), unilateral CP (hemiplegia), bilateral spastic CP (quadriplegic and diplegic) | None specified | cVEMP (AARs) | Abnormal vestibular function was found in 15/31 (48.4%) cases through AARs or cVEMP testing. No saccular function recorded in 2/31 (6%) children through cVEMP testing. |
9/9 |
| Corwin et al. (42) | USA | Cohort, retrospective | Children post-concussion | Age range: 5–18 y.o | Concussions related to a low-impact mechanism of injury | None specified | VOMS | Abnormal VOR (gaze stability), or tandem gait was observed in 100/247 (81%) patients' post-concussion upon initial examination. | 6/9 |
| Mucha et al. (45) | USA | Cross sectional | Group 1: 64 children post-concussion Group 2: 78 healthy children |
Group 1: Mean age: 13.9 y.o. Age range: 9–18 y.o Group 2: Mean age: 12.9 y.o Age range: 10–17y.o |
Concussion 5.5 ± 4.0 days (range, 1–21 days) after the injury | None specified | VOMS, PCSS | Symptom provocation upon administration of the VOR item of the VOMS observed in 39/64 (61%) patients. Symptom provocation upon administration of the smooth pursuit and vertical saccade items observed in 21/64 (33%)children. |
5/10 |
| Vartiainen et al. (34) | Finland | Cohort | Group 1: 61 children treated for acute blunt head injury Group 2: 138 children who had a head injury >2 years ago and return for FU Group 3: 59 children with no head trauma to be compared to group 1 Group 4: 88 children with no head trauma to be compared to group2 |
Group 1: Mean age: 9.7 y.o Age range: 2–15.4 y.o. Group 2: Mean age: 12.9 y.o Age range: 5–19 y.o. Group 3: Mean age: 10.7 y.o Age range: 5–15.2 y.o Group 4: Mean age: 13 y.o. Age range: 5–19y.o |
Classification of trauma: Contusion, concussions, skull fracture | None specified | Spontaneous nystagmus, positional nystagmus Pendular eye tracking test, calorictest |
Subjective complaints of vertigo reported in 1/61 (2%) children of Group 1 and on 2/138 (1%) children of Group 2. Spontaneous/Positional nystagmus found on 21/46 (46%) cases of Group 1 when trauma was “acute,” and on 8/46 cases (17%) 6–12 months later. Spontaneous/Positional nystagmus found on 22/120 (18%) cases of Group 2. Canal paresis detected on 6/41 (14.6%) cases of Group 1 when trauma was “acute” and on 2/41 (4.88%) 6–12 months later through Caloric testing. Canal paresis detected on 7/113 (6%) cases of Group 2 through Caloric testing |
6/9 |
GMFCS, gross motor function classification system; cVEMP, cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential; AARs, asymmetry ratio; VOMS, vestibular/ocular-motor screening; PCSS, Post-concussion symptom scale; y.o, years old; NOS score, Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.