The air caloric test in children: subdivision and statistical analysis of the response

Among a population of 200 children, suffering by dizziness that we examined in the ENT department of the 'G. Gaslini' Institute of Genoa, we acquired and checked, through the statistical analysis, the data of an air caloric t est (according to the standard stimulation method) performed in 20 children (resulted normal to neurological, ophtalmological and audiovestibuler exam inations which included audiometry, tympanometry, spontaneous, positional a nd positioning nystagmus research, OKN and caloric tests) and subdivided in to 10 s sequences. The statistical analysis of the results obtained showed the following: (1) in both cold and warm air caloric test, the response can be obtained already in the stimulation phase, requiring ENG recording to s tart at the beginning of stimulation; (2) even in children, response culmin ation occurs in a period ranging from 60 to 90 s from stimulation onset; th erefore the Visual Suppression Test should be performed in this period to o btain more significant data; (3) in cold and warm test, considering SSCs, t he response is constant and intense up to 130 and 110 s, respectively, from beginning of ENG recording. After these time ranges, the response is less intense and homogeneous, becoming poor and variable. In our opinion, this a llows suspension of recording immediately after these periods without the r isk of the excluding significant aspects of the response. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.