The clinical value of vHIT saccadic parameters in the diagnosis and management of central vestibular disorders: a narrative review

Central vestibular disorders significantly impair human balance and spatial orientation, and are associated with high rates of disability and mortality. Precise diagnosis and management are crucial for improving patient prognosis. As an advanced vestibular function assessment technique, the video head impulse test (vHIT) has been widely applied in clinical practice due to its non-invasive, accessible, and...

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vHIT saccadic parameters show promise for distinguishing central from peripheral vestibular disorders, but as a narrative review this paper cannot establish definitive diagnostic thresholds; clinicians should treat findings as hypothesis-generating rather than practice-changing.

Differentiating central from peripheral vestibular disorders has major management implications, and adding saccadic analysis to vHIT interpretation could improve diagnostic accuracy without additional testing.

1. 01Reviews clinical utility of saccadic parameters from video head impulse testing (vHIT) for central vestibular disorders.
2. 02Saccades detected by vHIT may help differentiate central from peripheral balance disorders.
3. 03Narrative review design means findings reflect the authors' synthesis rather than pooled statistical analysis.
4. 04Relevant for audiologists and neurotologists performing vestibular assessments.
5. 05Could guide more targeted use of vHIT in complex or atypical vestibular presentations.

PMID

42568415

DOI

10.3389/fneur.2026.1827448.

Journal

Frontiers in Neurology

Publication type

review

Evidence level

5

Population

Patients with central vestibular disorders undergoing vHIT assessment

Intervention

Video head impulse test (vHIT) saccadic parameter analysis