Background: Cochlear implantation (CI) is the gold standard therapy for profound or severe sensorineural hearing loss. It is a safe surgical procedure but, because of the proximity of the cochlea and vestibule, postoperative vestibular disorder may occur. Our hypothesis is that the video head impulse test (vHIT) may be a good tool to achieve a topographic diagnosis of dizziness in the early postoperative period after CI.
Aims/objectives: To evaluate patients with instability, imbalance and vertigo between 7 and 14 days after CI procedure.
Material and methods: A total of 31patients scheduled for unilateral CI were included in this study. vHIT for horizontal semicircular canal was performed before CI and between days 7 to 14 after the surgery.
Results: Six subjects had dizziness complaints after CI: instability (N = 2), imbalance (N = 2) and vertigo (N = 2). The postoperative vHIT test turned abnormal only in subjects with vertigo as compared to the preoperative vHIT test results.
Conclusion and significance: vHIT is a good vestibular function test during the first 2 weeks after CI surgery when vertigo is the main complaint.
Keywords: Cochlear implantation; vertigo; video head impulse test.