INVESTIGATION OF THE FUNCTIONALITY OF FUKUDA STEPPING TEST IN DIZZINESS PATIENTS
1Karabuk University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Karabuk, Turkey2Karabuk University Training and Research Hospital, Department of Audiology, Karabuk, Turkey Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the sensitivity and specificity of Fukuda stepping test (FST), which is used to evaluate vestibular asymmetry in patients with dizziness.
Materials and Methods: The vestibular evaluation forms of 189 patients admitted to the otorhinolaryngology outpatient clinic with dizziness between October 2017 and October 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. FST results were compared with caloric test results, which is accepted as the gold standard method to evaluate vestibular dysfunction. The specificity, sensitivity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of FST were calculated.
Results: Of the 189 patients, 117 were female (61.9%) and 72 were male (38.1%). The mean age was 41.06 ± 13.42 years (range, 15-72 years). There was a significant relationship between caloric test results and FST (p <0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of FST were 53.3% and 78.6%, respectively. The positive predictive value for FST was 32.0% and the negative predictive value was 89.9%.
Conclusion: FST alone is not a reliable screening test to detect unilateral vestibular dysfunction. In addition to FST, other bedside vestibular tests should be performed to obtain sufficient information about vestibular pathology in patients with dizziness.
Keywords : Dizziness, Fukuda stepping test, caloric test, vestibular, vertigo, Unterberger test