The assessment of the Fukuda stepping test in a vertigo outpatient clinic

Abstract

　The stepping test is a dynamic equilibrium function test that evaluates the rotation angle, the transition angle, the transition distance, and the presence of abnormal body sway during 50 or 100 steps taken in the same position with the eyes closed. Although this test is widely used as a part of evaluation of the equilibrium function, previous studies have reported that the deviated side in the stepping test was not correlated with the impaired side in the caloric test. In this study, we evaluated the correlation between the results in the caloric test and VEMP testing with those of the stepping test, in order to evaluate the usefulness of the stepping test to determine the impaired vestibular function side.

　The subjects were 38 patients who visited our department and underwent vestibular testing, including the caloric test and cervical and ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potential (cVEMP and oVEMP) testing. The correlations between the rotation angle, transition angle and transition distance in the stepping test and the CP% in the caloric test and asymmetry ratio (AR) in cVEMP/oVEMP testing were determined.

　There was no significant correlation between the rotation angle, transition angle or transition distance and canal paresis (CP) % in the caloric test or the AR in VEMP. The results suggest that vestibular function exerts little effect on the deviation in the stepping test. The stepping test is still being researched in terms of its usefulness for evaluating the dynamic equilibrium function and the results should be analyzed individually for each case and type of disease. The vestibular function of a patient undergoing the stepping test should be evaluated comprehensively by using multiple types of examinations.