[A comparison of water and air stimulated bithermal-caloric test and the usefulness of both methods in otologic surgery].

The most commonly used method of testing the responses of the labyrinths is Water Stimulated Bithermal-Caloric Test of Fitzgerald-Hallpike. Before planning an otiatric surgery it is necessary to support by documentary evidence the responses of the vestibular organ in the ear planned to be operated on, however, irrigation with water may cause damage to structures of the ear and may intensify symptoms of the diseases and eventually make the treatment more difficult. In some centers where Water Stimulated Bithermal-Caloric Test were used alone, or a combination of air and water stimulated caloric test were performed, it seemed to be difficult to compare the results of both tests. In this study I tried to establish parameters of stimuli obtained in the Air Stimulated Bithermal-Calorics test that evoked nystagmus, similar to those obtained in the Fitzgerald-Hallpike water stimulated test. It was determined that the duration of nystagmus in both water and air stimulated bithermal-caloric tests were identical when the temperature of "cold" air wave was 26 degrees C, whereas "warm" air wave had the temperature of 48 degrees C and the time of stimulation for both tests was 80 seconds.