head thrust test; head impulse test

Indications

• vertigo
• can help distinguishing vestibular neuronitis from stroke

Clinical significance

• vertigo with an abnormal head thrust test suggests a peripheral cause of vertigo, i.e. vestibular neuronitis
• vertigo in a normal head thrust test suggests a central cause, i.e. stroke

Procedure

• patient fixes on a central target
• head is rotated passively
• a normal response is equal & opposite eye movement that keeps the eyes stationary in space & fixed on the target

More general terms

• maneuver