Abstract
PURPOSE: The video Head Impulse Test is routinely used to assess semicircular canal function in adults, but to date, pediatric reference values are scarce. This study aimed to explore the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) in healthy children at different development stages and to compare the obtained gain values with reference to those in an adult population. METHODS: This prospective, single-center study recruited 187 children from among patients without otoneurological diseases, healthy relatives of these patients, and staff families from a tertiary hospital. Patients were divided into three groups by age: 3-6 years, 7-10 years, and 11-16 years. The vestibulo-ocular reflex was assessed by video Head Impulse Test, using a device with a high-speed infrared camera and accelerometer (EyeSeeCam(®); Interacoustics, Denmark). RESULTS: We found a lower vestibulo-ocular reflex gain of both horizontal canals in the 3-6-year-old group when compared with the other age groups. No increasing trend was found in the horizontal canals from age 7-10 years to age 11-16 years, and no differences were found by sex. CONCLUSION: Gain values in the horizontal canals increased with age until children reached age 7-10 years and matched the normal values for adults.