ClinicalTrials.gg
Status unknownNCT03553264Updated Jun 12, 2018

Three-dimensional Virtual Reality Procedures in Vestibular Rehabilitation

An interventional study of Virtual Reality Rehabilitation and Vestibular Rehabilitation in Vestibular Diseases and Virtual Rehabilitation, sponsored by Uniter Onlus. Status unknown at 1 site in Italy. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 90 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2018-06-12.

Sponsored by Uniter Onlus · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

The sponsor has not verified this record recently (last verified May 2018), so the status shown — last known as Recruiting — may be out of date.

From the registry’s dates

  • Registered 1 year 9 months after the study started (first participant enrolled Aug 2016, registered May 2018).
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
60
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 90 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The aim of the present study will be to discover possible (i) improvements achievable in unilateral vestibular hypofunction patients using a self-assessed head-mounted device (HMD)-based gaming procedure when combined with a classical vestibular rehabilitation protocol (HMD group) as compared with a group undergoing only vestibular rehabilitation and (ii) HMD procedure-related side effects. Main outcomes will be: otoneurological testing (vestibulo-ocular reflex gain study by means of vHIT and posturography measures with particular attention on power spectra) and self-report and performance measures (DHI, DGI and ABC). Side effects of HMD implementation will be studied by means of Simulator Sickness Questionnaires.

Moreover, second part of the study would collect patients' data one year after the end of the vestibular rehabilitation or its implementation with HMD.

Read the detailed description

Due to the recent outbreak of virtual reality in the field of rehabilitation, the use of head-mounted devices has been proposed in addition to conventional vestibular rehabilitation therapy in unilateral vestibular hypofunction patients. This approach has been proved to be useful in maximizing vestibular rehabilitation outcomes, with minimum simulator-related side effects. Virtual reality-based devices have been tested in vestibular rehabilitation by many clinicians, due to the possibility of achieving habituation, substitution and adaptation, the effectiveness in people presenting visual vertigo, and the positive effects on anxiety.

Thus, due to the undeniable relevance of testing outcomes of vestibular rehabilitation, and the promising results of head-mounted device-based home exercises in ameliorating its effects, the aim of this study will be to compare - in terms of short- (one week) and long-term (one year) effects - the subjective and objective indicators of vestibular function in a population of patients with unilateral vestibular hypofunction after completing conventional vestibular rehabilitation therapy with a randomized group who underwent a mixed-methods protocol including vestibular rehabilitation and head-mounted device treatment over the same period of time.

02

Conditions studied

  • Vestibular Diseases
  • Virtual Rehabilitation

Browse trials for

03

In context

Vestibular Diseases

170 studies on the registry are indexed under Vestibular Diseases; 41 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 60 is above the median of 46 across 127 interventional studies indexed under Vestibular Diseases.

Browse Vestibular Diseases studies →

Lead sponsor

Uniter Onlus is the lead sponsor of 6 studies on the registry; 1 is open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 90 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • right-handed patients affected by right chronic Unilateral Vestibular Hypofunction, the diagnosis of which will be achieved with at least 25% reduced vestibular response at bithermal water caloric irrigations on one side when calculated by means of Jongkees' formula after at least 3 months from the onset of symptoms.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • negative anamnesis for ,
  • negative anamnesis for head trauma,
  • negative anamnesis for neuropsychiatric disorders
  • negative anamnesis for metabolic diseases
  • negative anamnesis for cardiovascular diseases
  • negative anamnesis for endocrine diseases
  • treatment with drugs possibly impacting on auditory and visuo-vestibular functions
  • negative anamnesis for infectious diseases
  • negative anamnesis for otoneurological diseases
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(1)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Cancer (malignancy)

Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.

Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Investigator)
Enrollment
60 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Head Mounted Device

    In addition to the Vestibular Rehabilitation protocol, each HMD group patient will perform Virtual Reality Rehabilitation by means of the game protocol "Track Speed Racing 3D" uninterruptedly for 20min/day, while sitting on a chair or sofa, after the smartphone accommodation into the HMD 'Revelation' 3D VR Headset. The game consists of a point-of-view race in which the car is steered from the cockpit by tilting the head to the left and to the right to avoid swerving off the road and to achieve all the goals before finishing the lap. During this real car experience, the visual background and the scenario change perspective according to the patients' left or right tilted head movements, possibly emulating eye-head exercises that induce visual-vestibular conflicts.

    Device: Virtual Reality Rehabilitation · Other: Vestibular Rehabilitation

  • Active comparator
    Vestibular Rehabilitation

    Patients will be actively involved in adapting the exercise program to suit their symptoms, capabilities, and lifestyle. Following previous protocols, the home exercise program will include a patient-tailored combination of adaptation (without and with the target moving in pitch and yaw planes for 1min each three times per day), substitution, habituation, and balance exercises, and all chronic unilateral vestibular hypofunction patients will be seen twice a week for 4 weeks for 30-45 min and monitored for adherence. Between supervised sessions, patients will perform a twice-daily home exercise program for a total of 30-40min/day.

    Other: Vestibular Rehabilitation

Interventions

  • DeviceVirtual Reality Rehabilitation

    Track Speed Racing 3D game will run with HMD 'Revelation' 3D VR Headset and each HMD group patient will be instructed to perform the game protocol uninterruptedly for 20min/day, while sitting on a chair or sofa.

  • OtherVestibular Rehabilitation

    The home exercise program will include a patient-tailored combination of adaptation (without and with the target moving in pitch and yaw planes for 1min each three times per day), substitution, habituation, and balance exercises

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Otoneurological Test

    Study of vestibulo-ocular reflex VOR) by means of vHIT measuring its gain as the ratio between head and eye velocity. Low VOR gain values (range: 0.8-1) indicate low levels of activity of the semicircular canal.

    Time frame: one month

Secondary outcomes

  1. Balance Test

    Study of the surface of the ellipse of confidence (mm) by means of static posturography platform will be used to assess the sway of the posture. Low levels of outcomes indicate better performances. No specific reference ranges are given in literature.

    Time frame: one month

  2. Self-report dizziness handicap

    The Italian Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) wil be used to assess the self-report dizziness handicap. It consists of 25 questions designed to assess a patient's functional (nine questions), emotional (nine questions), and physical (seven questions) limitations; scores range from 0 to 100, with moderate and severe disability usually associated with scores above 30 and 60, respectively

    Time frame: one month

  3. Balance Confidence

    The Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale will be used to record the patient's perceived level of balance confidence during 16 everyday activities ranging from 0 to 100%. Higher values are referred to better balance confidence. No cut-off are given in literature.

    Time frame: one month

  4. Gait

    The Dynamic Gait Index will examin the patient's ability to perform various gait activities on an eight-item scale; range is from 0 to 24, with scores less than 19 indicating increased risk of falls.

    Time frame: one month

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • UNITER ONLUS for balance and rehabilitation research
    Guidonia, Rome 00012, Italy
    Recruiting
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Bergeron M, Lortie CL, Guitton MJ. Use of Virtual Reality Tools for Vestibular Disorders Rehabilitation: A Comprehensive Analysis. Adv Med. 2015;2015:916735. doi: 10.1155/2015/916735. Epub 2015 Apr 30. PubMed 26556560 ↗
  • Alahmari KA, Sparto PJ, Marchetti GF, Redfern MS, Furman JM, Whitney SL. Comparison of virtual reality based therapy with customized vestibular physical therapy for the treatment of vestibular disorders. IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng. 2014 Mar;22(2):389-99. doi: 10.1109/TNSRE.2013.2294904. PubMed 24608691 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Ran from Aug 2016 to primary completion in May 2018, 21 months.

Of 79 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Vestibular Diseases, half reached primary completion within 16 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 8 and three quarters within 37. This study's 21 months is above that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 84 studies reached it within 15 months; a quarter within 8 and three quarters within 34.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
May 16, 2018
First posted
Jun 12, 2018
StartActual
Aug 2016
Primary completionActual
May 2018
CompletionEst.
Dec 2018
Last update
Jun 12, 2018
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jun 12, 2018, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03553264
Lead sponsor
Uniter Onlus
Collaborators
University of Rome Tor Vergata
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Jun 12, 2018
Start date
Aug 2016
Primary completion
May 2018
Completion
Dec 2018 (estimated)
Last update
Jun 12, 2018

Study contacts

Alessandro Micarelli, M.D.,Ph.D.
Contact
alessandromicarelli@yahoo.it
0039-3356222157
Fausto Gandini
Contact
amministrazioneuniter@gmail.com
0039-0774302122
Alessandro Micarelli, M.D.,Ph.D.
principal investigator · Uniter Onlus

Oversight

FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is status unknown, as verified in May 2018. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Start the discussion