Comparison of the results of caloric and video head impulse tests in patients with Meniere's disease and vestibular migraine

Purpose To compare the results of video head impulse test (vHIT) and caloric testing (CT) in patients with vestibular migraine (VM) and Meniere's disease (MD) and to investigate the relationship between these two tests. Methods Patients with definite unilateral MD and VM were included in the study. All patients underwent both vHIT and CT. The vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) gains of lateral semicircular canals and saccadic waves in vHIT and the canal paresis factor for the CT were examined. Results CT was found abnormal in 39 (66.1%) patients with MD and in 17 (34%) patients with VM, while abnormal gain of the lateral canal was obtained in 23 MD (39%) patients and 9 (18%) VM patients. In all, 11.9% of patients with an abnormal vHIT had a normal CT, whereas 33.9% of those with an abnormal CT had a normal vHIT. Conclusion Loss of VOR detected by caloric testing is more common and severe in MD than VM. Although vHIT is useful and can give complementary information, vestibular testing with the caloric test still seems more sensitive for detecting hVOR pathology.

Automated summary

The study found that caloric testing is more sensitive for detecting VOR pathology in patients with Meniere's disease compared to those with vestibular migraine, although video head impulse testing can provide complementary information. Abnormalities were more common in caloric testing for Meniere's disease, while abnormalities in video head impulse testing were more common in vestibular migraine patients.