ABA Vestibular & Balance Assessment Flashcards

Superior semicircular canal dehiscence (SSCD) typically presents with which audiometric finding?

Answer: Low-frequency conductive hearing loss with normal or supra-normal bone conduction

SSCD often shows an apparent low-frequency air-bone gap with enhanced bone conduction thresholds (sometimes below 0 dB HL), representing a 'third window' effect.

Which stimulus frequency is typically used to elicit cervical VEMP (cVEMP) responses?

Answer: 500 Hz

The saccule is maximally sensitive to 500 Hz stimuli, making this frequency the standard for eliciting robust cVEMP responses.

Ocular VEMP (oVEMP) primarily assesses which vestibular end organ and nerve pathway?

Answer: Utricle via superior vestibular nerve

oVEMP is recorded from the extraocular muscles beneath the contralateral eye and reflects utricular function transmitted via the superior vestibular nerve.

Rotary chair testing is particularly useful for evaluating patients with bilateral vestibular hypofunction because it:

Answer: Tests both labyrinths simultaneously across a range of frequencies

Rotary chair sinusoidal harmonic acceleration tests VOR gain, phase, and symmetry by stimulating both labyrinths simultaneously, making it ideal for bilateral vestibular loss evaluation.

What is the most common etiology of acute unilateral vestibular hypofunction in adults?

Answer: Vestibular neuritis (labyrinthitis without hearing loss)

Vestibular neuritis, presumed viral in origin, is the most common cause of acute severe unilateral vestibular loss presenting with prolonged vertigo without hearing loss.

During vestibular rehabilitation, the primary goal of adaptation exercises is to:

Answer: Promote central nervous system compensation for peripheral vestibular asymmetry

Adaptation exercises use repeated visual-vestibular mismatch to drive central compensatory changes that reduce symptoms of vestibular imbalance.