Analysis of subjective visual vertical test results in patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo at different head deflection angles

ObjectiveTo analyze the clinical significance of subjective visual vertical (SVV) tests at different head deflection angles in assessing utricle function in patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). MethodsA total of 61 BPPV patients who were treated at the Hearing Impairment and Vertigo Diagnosis and Treatment Center of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine from August 2022 to May 2023 were retrospectively included, and 29 healthy adults were selected as controls. SVV tests were performed on all research subjects at different head deflection angles: upright head (0°), left head 45° (L45°), right head 45° (R45°). The test results between the two groups were compared. ResultsSVV absolute value at R45° in BPPV group was lower than that in the control group (P＝0.003); there was no significant difference in SVV values at 0° and L45° between the two groups. There was no statistical difference in SVV values at different head deflection angles between the control group and the left BPPV group. SVV absolute value at R45° in right BPPV group was lower than that in the control group (P＜0.001); there was no statistical difference in SVV values at 0° and L45° between the two groups. ConclusionsSVV test can provide subjective information about the utricle, and SVV tests at different head deflection angles can fine-tune evaluate the function of the utricle in BPPV patients.