Although video head impulse testing (vHIT) is widely used to assess semicircular canal function, access to quantitative vestibular testing remains limited. Smartphone-based vHIT systems with goggle-based fixation have been described, but larger validation studies and improved fixation stability are needed....
If validation results confirm agreement with gold-standard systems, this portable vHIT setup could extend vestibular testing to low-resource or remote settings, but clinicians should await peer-reviewed outcome data before adopting it.
A validated low-cost portable vHIT platform could democratize vestibular assessment, particularly in under-resourced clinics and telemedicine contexts.
- 01Study compared a portable iPod Touch-based vHIT to standard equipment for semicircular canal assessment.
- 02A custom 3D-printed oral stabilization mount was used to keep the device steady during testing.
- 03Design is a method-comparison study, appropriate for validating a new measurement tool.
- 04Published in Frontiers in Neurology (doi: 10.3389/fneur.2026.1831063).
- 05Low-cost hardware could expand vestibular testing access in resource-limited settings.
A portable vHIT using an iPod Touch and 3D-printed mount can validly assess semicircular canal function.
studyunclear- PMID
- 42440457
- DOI
- 10.3389/fneur.2026.1831063.
- Journal
- Frontiers in Neurology
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 2b
- Population
- Individuals undergoing video head impulse testing for semicircular canal function assessment
- Intervention
- Portable vHIT using iPod Touch with 3D-printed oral stabilization mount
- Comparator
- Standard clinical video head impulse test equipment
Primary outcomes
Agreement between portable and standard vHIT measurements of semicircular canal function