Vestibular Disorders in Children: A Retrospective Analysis of Vestibular Function Test Findings

Objective: This study was designed to describe the most common vestibular disorders in children and their associated findings on vestibular function testing.

Method: Data from 203 children with a mean age of 11.16 ± 3.87 (range, 1-17) years were collected from among 3400 patients who underwent vestibular assessment at a vertigo center in a tertiary hospital over a 3-year period. A retrospective data analysis was performed for 203 children.

Results: Vestibular disorders were diagnosed in 78.3% (n = 159) of 203 children among 3400 patients, which revealed a 3-year incidence of 4.67% in our study. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) was the most common diagnosis in our group of children (49%; n = 100), which involved both primary BPPV, and secondary BPPV that was associated with other vestibular pathologies. Vestibular migraine (VM) was the second most common diagnosis (41%; n = 83) followed by benign paroxysmal vertigo of childhood (BPVC; 4.5%, n = 9), vestibular neuritis (VN; 4.5%, n = 9), and psychogenic vertigo (4.5%, n = 9). Our study showed that Meniere's Disease (MD; 1.5%, n = 3) and central vertigo (1.5%, n = 3) were less commonly diagnosed in children. Perilymphatic fistula (PLF) was diagnosed and surgically confirmed in only one child.

Conclusion: BPPV and VM were the most common pediatric vestibular disorders in our study. Clinicians should be aware of the prevalence, signs, and symptoms of the most common vestibular disorders in children to enable diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. Vestibular function testing with age-appropriate adaptations results in improved differential diagnosis, which guides medical treatment and rehabilitation.