Kimura Y, et al. - This trial was formulated in order to explore the tie-up between vestibular function and gross motor development in children with inner ear malformations. An interconnection was brought to light between structural inner ear malformations with vestibular dysfunction and delayed gross motor development. The presence of a higher incidence of reduced vestibulo-ocular reflex was affirmed in children with vestibular and semicircular canal malformations.

Methods

• The eligible candidates included 195 children (average age: 2.4 ± 1.6 yr) with profound hearing loss (defined as a hearing threshold greater than 80 dB).
• During this trial, the analysis of vestibular function was determined in all children via a damped rotational chair test.
• By evaluating the age of acquisition of head control and independent walking, researchers gauged the gross motor development.
• Among 190 of the 195 children, temporal bone computed tomography scans were performed.

Results

• A total of 31 children (15.9%) exhibited a reduced response in the rotational chair test.
• Herein, 16 candidates displayed a more obvious nystagmus during follow-up compared with the initial examination, out of the 17 children who were followed up with repeat rotational chair tests.
• Substantial delays were disclosed in head control and independent walking among the reduced response group compared with the normal response group (p < 0.01).
• As per the results, 41 enrollees (21.6%) presented with inner ear malformations along with prominently delayed acquisition of head control and independent walking (p < 0.01) compared to children with normal vestibular function.
• The most common observations included severe vestibular (p < 0.05) and lateral semicircular canal (p < 0.01) malformations in children with inner ear malformations, with a reduced response in the rotational chair test.