The Efficiency of the Sideways Stepping Test in Detecting Unilateral Vestibular Hypofunction

[Purpose] This study investigated to determine whether the Sideways Stepping Test (SST)is a useful test to detect unilateral vestibular hypofunction (UVH). [Subjects andMethods] Twenty-eight subjects including both male and females between the ages of 25 and55 who had been diagnosed with UVH were recruited for the study. All the subjects weretested with the SST and followed by the head-shaking nystagmus (HSN) test using videoelectronystagmography (VENG) to confirm the presence of UVH. The results of both testswere then compared with each other to determine the correlation, sensitivity, andspecificity. [Results] The results showed that the SST is strongly correlated with thegold standard HSN test using VENG and is highly sensitive and specific. [Conclusion] Thepresent study showed that the SST is a highly valid test that can be used as analternative method to the gold standard HSN test using VENG in detecting UVH.Key words: Unilateral vestibular hypofunction, Sideways Stepping Test, Video electronystagmography