Evaluation of Dizzy Children Using Arabic Dizziness Questionnaire And its Correlation with the Different Vestibular Test Results

Objectives: Modification and application of the pediatric dizziness questionnaire in evaluation of dizzy children, and to compare the questionnaire conclusion with the results of vestibular evaluation. Subjects and Methods: Twenty dizzy children aged 6-17 years were subjected to: An interview with patients or parents using the arabic dizziness pediatric questionnaire, otological examination, bedside examination for the dizzy patient, basic audiological evaluation, and vestibular assessment including: Videonystagmography (VNG), cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (cVEMP), and Sensory Organization Testing (SOT) via dynamic posturography. Parameters under study were questionnaire scores and conclusion, VNG results including canal paresis, cVEMP latency, amplitude, and threshold. SOT result analysis in the form of equilibrium scores and sensory analysis. Results: Comparisons and correlations between the ves-tibular score of the pediatric questionnaire and the results of the vestibular assessment were non- statistically significant. The most common diagnoses in the pediatric group were Benign paroxysmal vertigo of childhood (4 cases), epilepsy (3 cases), migraine associated dizziness (2 cases), general causes (2 cases), vestibular disorders (2 cases), and cerebel-lopontine angle lesions (2 cases). Conclusion: Pediatric patients sharing the same diagnosis consistently answered certain questions positively in the questionnaire. Children complaining of headache should be carefully evaluated as migraine associated dizziness and migraine equivalents are among the most common causes of dizziness in children. We recommend the use of the dizziness questionnaire as a first step of the test battery for evaluation of dizzy children.