抄録
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of foam posturography for peripheral vestibulopathy.
Methods: Two-legged stance tasks were conducted in patients with peripheral (n=94) vestibulopathy and healthy controls (n=193), under four conditions; eyes open with and without the foam rubber, and eyes closed with and without the foam rubber. We examined 6 parameters: the velocity of movement of the center of pressure, the envelopment area determined by tracing the movement in the eyes closed/foam rubber condition, Romberg's ratio of velocity and area with foam rubber, and the foam ratios (ratios of a measured parameter with and without the foam rubber) of velocity and area with eyes closed.
Results: All the 6 parameters were significantly higher in peripheral vestibulopathy patients compared with the controls (p<0.0001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the Romberg's ratio of velocity with the foam rubber was 0.888, which was the largest, and was not influenced by age in healthy controls.
Conclusions: Foam posturography is useful for preliminary assessment of peripheral vestibulopathy. From a practical standpoint, the Romberg's ratio of velocity with the foam rubber seems the most suitable parameter for assessment of patients with peripheral vestibulopathy.
