[Effect of irrigation sequence in vestibular paresis results of bithermal caloric tests].

OBJECTIVE Bithermal caloric tests are among those most commonly used in vestibular function studies and require a properly systematized approach. Irrigation sequence varies between laboratories. Our objective is to study the effect of irrigation sequence on the percentage of vestibular paresis. MATERIAL AND METHOD We analysed 1214 records, 77.51% cold to hot sequences (C-H) and the rest hot to cold (H-C). We considered results above 24% of vestibular asymmetry to be pathological. RESULTS In general, 33.36% of the records were pathological. Groups compared showed that H-C sequence had more significant (P <0.001) pathological results than C-H (46.52% vs 29.54%). CONCLUSION Irrigation sequence has a significant influence on the outcome of caloric tests to for the detection of vestibular paresis. More studies are needed to confirm the best irrigation sequence.