Comparison of vestibulo-ocular and vestibulospinal screening tests.

A comparison of a newly developed vestibulospinal screening test and two vestibulo-ocular screening tests (caloric and rotation) was performed on two groups of patients, one with Meniere's disease (MD) the other with benign paroxysmal positional nystagmus (BPPN) and vertigo. Vestibulospinal screening tests were slightly more sensitive (not statistically significant) than caloric tests for detection of a peripheral vestibular disorder. Caloric, rotation, and vestibulospinal screening tests were specific neither for MD nor BPPN groups. The caloric test false-positive rate for the involved ear was unacceptably high for the BPPN group. The rotation test false-positive rate was the highest of the three tests for both groups. The vestibulospinal test combined with either the caloric or the rotational tests increased the sensitivity for detection of a peripheral vestibular disturbance, particularly for the MD patients.