The limits of stability in patients with unilateral vestibulopathy.

OBJECTIVE

To characterize the stability limits and region in patients with unilateral vestibulopathy according to the side of the lesion and determine if that imposes any bias. To analyze if the stability limits and region depend on the functional deficit as evaluated in the sensory organization test.

METHODS

Forty patients with chronic dizziness and without any vertigo spell for least 6 months prior to testing. In all of them, a unilateral vestibulopathy was diagnosed clinically and at vestibular testing. A computerized dynamic posturography system was used to test for the ability of patients and controls to displace their center of pressure (COP) to the corresponding LOS. The area was calculated and compared to other data from vestibular tests.

RESULTS

The area of stability among patients shows a reduction to 35-62% of the expected total. That reduction was not found to be dependent on age.

CONCLUSION

There is a symmetric reduction in the limits of stability (LOS) in patients with unilateral vestibulopathy who suffer chronic instability. None of the areas measured were correlated with the composite score of the sensory organization test and, as such, must be considered as an adjunct measure to characterize the postural limitations in those patients.