Cross-cultural adaptation of the Dizziness Handicap Inventory - child/adolescent to Spanish version. Analysis of its application in children.

BACKGROUND: The Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) is a questionnaire to assess self-perception of disability produced by the effects of vestibular system disorders. It is a tool used by professionals who treat patients with balance disorders, although it is not widely used in children. The aim of this study is to carry out a cross-cultural and linguistic adaptation of the DHI children/adolescent in the Argentine population from a version already published in Portuguese and to evaluate it in a group of patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-cultural adaptation was carried out, maintaining semantic, conceptual, content, technical and criteria equivalence; and it was verified that the new Argentinian version of the DHI for children and adolescents maintains the reliability of the original questionnaire. According to Beaton's recommendations, the questionnaire was translated from Portuguese to Spanish (Argentine) by 2 different translators and a back-translation to the original language by 2 other translators. Since this questionnaire is directed at a paediatric population, some terms were adapted to be understood by children from 4 years old. A psychopedagogue and a psychologist joined the team to delve more deeply into the questions that focus on the emotional or psychological aspects of the symptom. RESULTS: No difficulties were found in obtaining equivalent expressions from the original questionnaire to Spanish (Argentine). The internal consistency of this cross-culturally adapted questionnaire was like those already published in other languages. Most paediatric patients do not have disabilities in the areas studied. The patients with the highest total scores presented vestibular migraine as a diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: This questionnaire will be culturally and linguistically adapted for use in the Argentine population. The emphasis was placed on terms and expressions that could be understood by the paediatric population.

Balance disorders in childhood: Main etiologies according to age. Usefulness of the video head impulse test.

UNLABELLED: Balance disorders are common in adult patients but less usual in the pediatric population. When this symptomatology appears in children it is a cause for concern, both for parents and health-care professionals. OBJECTIVES: To explain the balance disorders in children describing a case series and to discuss the main etiologies found according to age. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective, observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional study was conducted. POPULATION: Patients aged 1-18 years who consulted because of balance disorders at the otolaryngology department of a pediatric tertiary-care hospital between March 2012 and July 2015. RESULTS: Two hundred and six patients were included in the study. Median age was 10 years. The most common diagnoses were vestibular migraine in 21.8% of the children, ataxia in 9.22%, benign paroxysmal vertigo of childhood in 7.77%, and post-traumatic vertigo in 6.31%.Overall, 61 videonystagmographies- of which 46 were normal - and 55 video head impulse tests - which were normal in 45 and showed abnormalities in the vestibulo-ocular reflex gain in 10 - were performed. CONCLUSIONS: In a child with balance disorders, the medical history and neurotological examination are essential. Vestibular migraine is the most commonly found disorder in every age group, and most of the patients have a family history of migraine. Ancillary studies, especially the video head-impulse test, provide important data to confirm the diagnosis.

Intratemporal complications from acute otitis media in children: 17 cases in two years.

BACKGROUND: To describe the clinical features of intratemporal complications of acute otitis media (AOM) in children, a retrospective study was carried out for two years. METHODS: We considered acute mastoiditis, presence of postauricular swelling, erythema and tenderness and anteroinferior displacement of the auricle; labyrinthitis, presence of vestibular symptoms (spontaneous nystagmus and ataxia with or without vomiting; and facial nerve palsy, absence or decreased motility in hemiface. All children underwent otomicroscopy for evidence of coexistent or recent AOM. Cultures were obtained by tympanocentesis and myringotomy, drainage of subperiosteal abscess or from granulation tissue during tympanomastoidectomy. RESULTS: From January 2008 to December 2009, 17 patients fulfilled the entry criteria. Median age: 54.2 months. Of the 17 cases, 30% were infants younger than twelve months and most were boys (70.6%). 8/17 were receiving antimicrobial treatment. Diagnoses included 9/17 (52.9%) acute mastoiditis, 7/17 (41.2%) labyrinthitis and 1/17 (5.9%) facial nerve palsy. Intracranial complications were present in 17.6%. All required intravenous antimicrobial treatment. Myringotomy was performed in 16/17, drainage of subperiosteal abscess in 3/17 and tympanomastoidectomy in 2/17. Bacteriology was positive in 9/17 cases, isolating Streptococcus pyogenes (S. pyogenes) in 44% of patients. Secuelaes: One unilateral sensorineural hearing loss. CONCLUSIONS: Acute mastoiditis is the most common complication. Labyrinthitis was diagnosed in 41.2% of cases. S. pyogenes was prevalent in these serious invasive infections in our area. Associated intracranial complications were present in 17.6% cases. Resolution of AOM complications required surgical procedures in all cases (myringotomy, drainage of subperiosteal abscess or tympanomastoidectomy).