Avaliação do efeito da idade sobre a função vestibular por meio do Teste do Impulso Cefálico (v-HIT)

Abstract

Purpose: to evaluate the effect of age on vestibular-ocular reflex gain through v-HIT. Methods: this was a cross-sectional, analytical, observational study conducted with 90 subjects without self-reported otoneurological alterations, who underwent v-HIT examination in order to evaluate semicircular canal gain and cephalic pulse velocity. Results: the age of the sample ranged from 20 to 83 years. It was decided that the sample be divided into three age groups to facilitate the analysis: 18 to 30 years; 31 to 59 years, and over 60 years old. A decrease in vestibular-ocular reflex gains of the right and posterior semicircular canals was observed with increasing age. The average semicircular canal gain was close to one and the velocities above 100º/s. Conclusion: the average gain of the semicircular canals is within the normality standards found in the literature. Only the posterior and right anterior semicircular canals showed reduced gain with increasing age.