Validated argentine version of the visual vertigo analogue scale.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Visual vertigo (VV), triggered by environmental or dynamic visual stimuli and repetitive visual patterns, can affect daily life activities. The Visual Vertigo Analogue Scale (VVAS) is a valid and reliable self-administered questionnaire to assess VV, which has been culturally adapted to the Argentine population but has not been validated. OBJECTIVE: To validate the Argentine version of VVAS (VVAS-A) by confirming its psychometric properties in patients with vestibular disorders. METHODS: Vestibular patients (n = 82) completed the VVAS-A and the Dizziness Handicap Inventory Argentine version (DHI-A) during their initial visit and one week later. The VVAS-A's internal consistency, test retest reliability, ceiling and floor effects, and construct validity were determined. Test-retest data (n = 71) was used to calculate reliability using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC 2.1). RESULTS: A ceiling effect was observed in 12 patients (14.6%). Internal consistency was acceptable (Cronbach's alpha 0.91). The reliability was r = 0.764 [CI 95% 0.7 -0.86]). Correlations were observed between the VVAS-A and the total DHI-A score (rho = 0.571), the DHI-A physical subscale (rho 0.578), and DHI-A functional and emotional subscales of the DHI-A (rho 0.537 and 0.387, respectively). CONCLUSION: The VVA-A is a valid, reliable tool to evaluate VV in patients with vestibular disorders.