Institute Research
Institute Research
The Hearing and Balance Institute of the Rockies, Inc. will be presenting at the American Balance Society 4th Annual meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona on March 7, 2011.
Authors:
Terri Ives, Sc.D., Au.D. Hearing and Balance Institute of the Rockies, Inc.
Jorge E. González, Ph.D. Department of Audiology & Speech Language Pathology Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, Bloomsburg, PA
Alexander Kiderman, Ph.D. Neuro-Kinetics, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA
Title:
Subjective Visual Vertical (SVV) Precedence Effect: Consideration of the Initial Direction of SVV Angle
Abstract:
The static Subjective Visual Vertical (sSVV) test has become more widely used as an indicator of utricular pathway function. Typically, the sSVV test is performed by having an individual adjust the angle of a line that has been previously set to a random angle off of the vertical. To date, one study (Pagarkar et al. 2008) has investigated the effect of the preset angle on perceived verticality, but was limited by the small number of subjects. The purpose of this study, conducted at the Hearing & Balance Institute of the Rockies and Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, was to further examine the role of preset angle on sSVV in the normal and vestibular/balance disordered populations. Forty-five adults with no history or current complaints of vestibular or balance disorders performed sSVV testing inside a light-proof Neuro-Otologic Test Center (NOTC) enclosure. Additionally, the effect of preset angle on the results from 175 vestibular/balance patients was examined using the same test parameters. The results revealed 18-20 % of vestibular/balance disordered individuals showed an sSVV asymmetry of more than 2 degrees between mean positive and negative preset angles. The implications of these results will be discussed for different test populations and test designs.
References:
Pagarkar, W., Bamiou, D.E., Ridout, D., Luxon, L.M. (2008). Subjective visual vertical and horizontal: effect of the preset angle. Archives of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 134(4), 394-401.
