[Alterations of balance in patients under 16 years of age distributed by age groups]. / Alteraciones del equilibrio en pacientes menores de 16 años distribuidos por grupos de edad.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence and clinical characteristics of children with altered balance, as well as to establish the level of importance of the audiological, balance and imaging studies in the diagnosis of infantile vestibular pathology. PATIENTS AND METHOD: We report a descriptive, retrospective and non-randomized study performed at the Otorhinolaryngology Department of the Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago de Compostela (Santiago de Compostela University Hospital, Santiago de Compostela, Spain). The study included 125 patients under 16 years of age who consulted due to alterations in their balance over a period of twelve years (1996 to 2007); they are distributed into three groups based on age: 0 to 5, 6 to 10, and 11 to 15 years. RESULTS: Childhood benign paroxysmal vertigo (64 %) is the most frequent syndrome in our series, with 32.5 % of patients associating common migraine. Together with diagnoses of infantile positional vertigo and psychogenic vertigo, was more frequently found in the 11 to 15 year-old age group (P< .05). Age, gender and the results of the imaging studies (computerized tomography of the brain and magnetic resonance of the head) were not related to the presentation of associated migraine nor to the diagnosis (P>.05). CONCLUSIONS: Clinical history and the neuro-otological examination are the key elements of the diagnosis of infantile vestibular pathology; it is also important to standardize and group patients by age. Imaging studies only contribute high diagnostic performance in children presenting neurological symptoms, persistent headache or who have sustained head trauma.

Alteraciones del equilibrio en pacientes menores de 16 años distribuidos por grupos de edad / Alterations of balance in patients under 16 years of age distributed by age groups

Objetivo: Evaluar la prevalencia y las características clínicas de las alteraciones del equilibrio en los niños, así como establecer el grado de importancia de los estudios audiológicos, equilibriométricos y de imagen en el diagnóstico de la afección vestibular infantil. Pacientes y método: Presentamos un estudio descriptivo, retrospectivo y no aleatorizado, realizado en el Servicio de Otorrinolaringología del Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago de Compostela. Se incluyó a 125 pacientes menores de 16 años que consultaron por alteraciones del equilibrio a lo largo de 12 años (1996-2007); que se distribuyeron en 3 grupos en función de su edad: 0 a 5, 6 a 10,y 11 a 15 años. Resultados: El vértigo paroxístico benigno de la infancia (64 %) es el cuadro más frecuente en nuestra serie, en el32,5 % se asoció migraña común. Éste, junto a los diagnósticos de vértigo posicional infantil y vértigo psicógeno, se encontró con más frecuencia en el grupo etario de 11 a15 años (p < 0,05). La edad, el sexo y los resultados de los estudios de imagen (tomografía computarizada cerebral y resonancia magnética encefálica) no se relacionaron con el hecho de presentar migraña asociada ni con el diagnóstico (p > 0,05).Conclusiones: La historia clínica y la exploración otoneurológica son las piezas clave en el diagnóstico de la afección vestibular infantil; es importante protocolizarlas y sistematizarlas por grupos de edad. Los estudios de imágenes sólo aportan alto rendimiento diagnóstico en niños que presenten clínica neurológica, cefaleas persistentes o el antecedente de traumatismo craneoencefálico (AU)

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence and clinical characteristics of children with altered balance, as well as to establish the level of importance of the audiological, balance and imaging studies in the diagnosis of infantile vestibular pathology. Patients and method: We report a descriptive, retrospective and non-randomized study performed at the Otorhinolaryngology Department of the Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago de Compostela (Santiago de Compostela University Hospital, Santiago de Compostela, Spain). The study included 125 patients under 16 years of age who consulted due to alterations in their balance over a period of twelve years (1996 to 2007); they are distributed into three groups based on age: 0 to 5, 6 to 10, and 11 to 15 years. Results: Childhood benign paroxysmal vertigo (64 %) is the most frequent syndrome in our series, with 32.5 % of patients associating common migraine. Together with diagnoses of infantile positional vertigo and psychogenic vertigo, was more frequently found in the 11 to 15 year-old age group (P<0.05). Age, gender and the results of the imaging studies (computerized tomography of the brain and magnetic resonance of the head) were not related to the presentation of associated migraine nor to the diagnosis (P>0.05).Conclusions: Clinical history and the neuro-otological examinationare the key elements of the diagnosis of infantile vestibular pathology; it is also important to standardize and group patients by age. Imaging studies only contribute high diagnostic performance in children presenting neurological symptoms, persistent headache or who have sustained head trauma (AU)