New technology may analyze head sway and help diagnose vestibular disorders in patients: Study

The results revealed significant findings in participants with VH. Under the static visual condition, the individuals with VH demonstrated a larger head VRMS in the AP direction and pitch during both the 20 and 60-second assessments when compared to the healthy controls. The dynamic visual condition further amplified these differences where the VH participants showed significant increase in head sway in all directions and at both time intervals. In contrast, the participants with MD did not show significant differences from either the control group or the VH group which indicated high variability and intermediate average head sway values.

These preliminary findings suggest that while head sway metrics collected via HMD are sensitive to VH, yet, they do not conclusively differentiate individuals with MD from healthy controls or those with VH. The study elucidates the potential of using head sway as a clinical tool to assess sensory integration necessary for postural control. Further research involving a larger sample size with the patients having more pronounced symptoms at the time of testing should be recruited.

Reference:

Kelly, J. L., Cosetti, M., & Lubetzky, A. V. (2024). Can head sway patterns differentiate between patients with Meniere’s disease vs. peripheral vestibular hypofunction? In Frontiers in Neurology (Vol. 15). Frontiers Media SA. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2024.1347335