Video head impulse test (VHIT) normalization study in young adults

Demirtaş, B. Vıdeo Head Impulse Test (Vhıt) Normalızatıon Study In Young Adults, Hacettepe Graduate School of Health Sciences, Master Thesis of Audiology, Ankara, 2019. The Head Impulse Test (HIT), which has an essential clinical value in differentiating between peripheral and central pathologies, was developed by Halmagyi and Curthoys in 1988. Because it does not carry a numerical data, and its evaluation is subjective, the HIT test became an evaluation tool with limitations. Current technological developments have led to high-speed video recordings and accurate positioning of the eye, so that, the video head impulse test (v-HIT) has been developed and used to allow a digital expression of HIT measurements. The video head impulse test is easy-to-apply, objective, allows the evaluation of the six semicircular canals (SCC), visualization of the hidden saccades that occur during the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR), and allows the acquisition of numerical data in the evaluation. In this study, 130 young adults in the age range of (18-30 years old) were participated to determine the normalization values of the test. In the analysis of the data, no significant difference was found between the lateral scc canals of the right and left ear (p> 0.05), but a significant difference was found between the vertical canals (p <0.05). Also, a significant difference was found between males and females in the obtained data of the right anterior canal(p<0.05). The study findings provide valuable normative data in clinical use, constitute an important basic data for individuals with vestibular pathology. Keywords: Head Impulse Test, Video Head Impulse Test, VOR, Vestibular system.