A study on incidence of vestibular deficits in children with sensory neural hearing loss by using cervical Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials (cVEMP)

This study was conducted from an Audiology & rehabilitation clinic in Kerala- India from January 2022 to August 2022.In both evolutionary and embryonic perspective, the organs responsible for hearing and balance (auditory & vestibular system) have a common origin and developmental pattern. Sensory neural hearing loss (SNHL) is a common congenital sensory deficit occurring in large number of children and it is extensively investigated and has well defined management protocols such as hearing aids or cochlear implants and speech-language rehabilitation. But in comparison with the case of SNHL, very little effort has been done to investigate and treat the vestibular deficits which can co-occur along with SNHL. This study is an attempt to throw some light about the incidence of vestibular deficits in hearing impaired children. It was found that abnormal/absent VEMP responses were found in 57% of children with SNHL. VEMP responses were completely absent in 65% of ears with severe to profound hearing loss. Vestibular dysfunction was also present in 19% of children with moderate to moderately severe hearing loss. Incidence of vestibular deficits increases in higher degree of hearing loss such as severe to profound category. Motor delay was also reported in 10 out of 26 participants in this study which could be attributed to lack of visual motor development in children with vestibular deficits. However a large number of vestibular deficits in children with SNHL still remain under reported and uninvestigated which points to the need for conducting vestibular assessment in children diagnosed with SNHL.