CClinicalTrials.gg
TerminatedNCT04594057Updated Mar 19, 2025

Longitudinal Recovery of Laboratory, Clinical, and Community-Based Measures of Head and Trunk Control in People With Acquired Vestibulopathy

An interventional study of Gaze and Postural Retraining Exercise in Vestibular Schwannoma and Vestibular Disorder, sponsored by University of Utah. Terminated at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 85 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-03-19.

Sponsored by University of Utah · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Why this study was terminated
Difficulty with enrollment secondary to COVID

From the registry’s dates

  • Registered 9 months after the study started (first participant enrolled Dec 2019, registered Sep 2020).
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
10
Allocation
Non-randomized
Ages
18 Years to 85 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This study is designed to examine the true impact inner-ear dysfunction has on patient head movement kinematics, activity levels, and participation, and (2) to explore the efficacy of rehabilitation on laboratory, clinical, and community-based outcomes in people following surgical removal of a schwannoma from the inner-ear nerve.

Read the detailed description

In this project we will focus on characterizing deficits in community-based performance (i.e., head and trunk control during simulated community activities, short term community mobility, and patient reported participation) and relating these deficits to laboratory (i.e., video head impulse testing and corrective postural responses) and clinical (i.e., MiniBEST and dynamic visual acuity, and visual spatial cognition) measures of gaze and postural stability in individuals with varied forms of vestibulopathy (unilateral vestibular neuritis, bilateral vestibular loss, migraine related vestibulopathy, concussion, BPPV, Multiple Sclerosis). Additionally, we will examine the longitudinal change of laboratory, and community-based measures of gaze and postural in two cohorts of people with a specific form of unilateral vestibular loss (Vestibular Schwannoma resection); one group of these individuals will receive 6 weeks of vestibular rehabilitation during the acute onset of symptoms and the other one will begin intervention 6 weeks post onset. This portion of the proposed project will test my global hypothesis that changes in community-based performance of head and trunk control impair recovery following the onset of VH.

Aim 1: In individuals with vestibulopathy, characterize and compare laboratory and clinical measures of body structure, function, and performance to community-based, activity levels, performance, and patient reported participation. Hypothesis 1: The severity of laboratory and clinically measured gaze and postural stability function deficits will not strongly correlate with head and trunk control during community-based performance or patient reported participation. Hypothesis 2: The nature and severity of laboratory and clinically measured gaze and postural stability function deficits will differ between varied diagnostic groups.

Aim 2: In individuals with unilateral vestibular hypofunction following unilateral vestibular schwannoma resection, examine the longitudinal trajectories of laboratory and clinical measures of body structure, function and performance, and community-based performance, activity levels, and patient reported participation during periods of spontaneous and rehabilitation driven recovery. Hypothesis: Recovery of laboratory and clinical measures will follow different trajectories than measures of community-based performance and patient reported participation during both periods of spontaneous and rehabilitation driven recovery.

02

Conditions studied

  • Vestibular Schwannoma
  • Vestibular Disorder
03

In context

Neurilemmoma

82 studies on the registry are indexed under Neurilemmoma; 21 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 10 is below the median of 21 across 47 interventional studies indexed under Neurilemmoma.

Browse Neurilemmoma studies →

Lead sponsor

University of Utah is the lead sponsor of 969 studies on the registry; 178 are open to participants now.

Of its 107 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 62 (58%) have results posted.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 85 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

  • Reports of dizziness as indicated by Dizziness handicap inventory score >0
  • Undergoing a vestibular schwannoma resection surgery and/or vestibular hypofunction diagnosed using bedside examination
  • Able to perform community ambulation

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Presence of cardiovascular, orthopedic, or other neurologic diagnosis that limits ability to complete study testing, or causes other forms of dizziness.
  • Blindness
  • Peripheral neuropathy
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Non-randomized
Intervention model
Crossover assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
10 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Active comparator
    Early Start

    Begin 6 weeks of gaze and postural stability training 10-14 days following surgery.

    Behavioral: Gaze and Postural Retraining Exercise

  • Experimental
    Delayed Start

    Begin 6 weeks of gaze and postural stability training 6 weeks following surgery.

    Behavioral: Gaze and Postural Retraining Exercise

Interventions

  • BehavioralGaze and Postural Retraining Exercise

    Gaze and Postural Stability The duration and content of the Gaze and Postural Stability (GPS) intervention is specifically designed to focus on gradually increasing difficulty of gaze and postural stability exercises. The target duration of each in clinic visit will be 90 min (15 min of gaze stability exercises, 15 min of postural stability exercises and approximately 60 min for the standard care control intervention with rest interspersed throughout the exercise session. Gaze stability exercise will consist of progressive Vestibular-occular training. Postural stability exercises will consist of progressive static and dynamic postural training.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI)

    Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI): The DHI is a self assessment inventory designed to evaluate the self-perceived handicap effects imposed by dizziness or unsteadiness and has documented test-retest and internal consistency reliability in PwMS. The DHI consists of 25 questions subgroup into functional, emotional, and physical components. The total score ranges from 0-100, with higher scores indicating greater handicap. Change from baseline to 6 weeks post surgery.

    Time frame: Change baseline to 6 weeks

  2. Change in miniBEST test

    the 14-item Mini-BESTest which includes four sections (anticipatory postural adjustments, reactive postural responses, sensory orientation, and stability in gait) relevant to postural control and stability in MS. The maximum possible score is 28 with higher scores indicating better balance. Tasks within the Mini-BEST test require head and/ or body motion, which will be assessed using body-worn 3D accelerometers. The Change from the baseline score to the 6 weeks post surgery score.

    Time frame: Change from baseline to 6 weeks

  3. Change in Community-simulated Ambulatory Task (CAT)

    Community-simulated walking task consisting of turns, stairs, and inside/outside ambulation requiring specific use of head and trunk turns. Change from baseline to 6 weeks post surgery.

    Time frame: Change from Baseline to 6 weeks

  4. Change in Passive Angular Vestibular Reflex Testing

    The angular vestibular ocular reflex (aVOR) gain will be calculated as the ratio of the de-saccaded eye velocity Area Under the Curve (AUC) over the head velocity AUC between the onset of the head impulse to the moment when head velocity returns to zero. Change from baseline to 6 weeks post surgery in aVOR gain.

    Time frame: Change from Baseline to 6 weeks

Secondary outcomes

  1. Activities Balance Confidence Scale (ABC)

    The Activity Specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC) is a 16-item self-reported measure of balance confidence in performing various activities of daily living. Each question requires an individual to grade his or her self on a scale of 0 to 100 percent for their level of confidence and higher scores indicate greater balance confidence in performing these activities.

    Time frame: Baseline, 10 days post surgery, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks post surgery.

  2. Life Space Assessment

    The Life Space Assessment is self-report questionnaire that captures the amount of time which a person interacts with differing levels of their environment.

    Time frame: Baseline, 10 days post surgery, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks post surgery.

  3. Dynamic Visual Acuity

    The Dynamic Visual Acuity (DVA) test is a valid and reliable functional measure of gaze stability that utilizes head rotations representing natural head velocities during daily activities. The variable logMAR is the standard measurement for DVA and is equal to log10x, where x is the minimum angle resolved, in arcmin, with 1 arcmin equal to 1/60°). The better one's visual acuity, the lower one's logMAR score.

    Time frame: Baseline, 10 days post surgery, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks post surgery.

  4. Compensatory Saccade Frequency

    The number of Compensatory Saccades (CS) per Head Rotation (CS/HR) will be manually counted per head rotation. Collected at intervention completion and 1-month follow-up adjusting for baseline (values collected at baseline assessment).

    Time frame: Baseline, 10 days post surgery, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks post surgery.

  5. Daily Step Activity

    Step activity monitors will be used to quantify daily step activity during over a 4 day window.

    Time frame: Baseline, 10 days post surgery, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks post surgery.

  6. Postural Sway

    The amount of postural sway during quiet stance on firm, foam, and incline surfaces will be assessed using 3D accelerometers.

    Time frame: Baseline, 10 days post surgery, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks post surgery.

  7. Modified Physical Performance Test (mPPT)

    The mPPT assess basic and complex activities of daily living including rising from a chair, picking an object up from the floor, donning and doffing a jacket, placing an item on a shelf, a 50 foot walk, 360 degree turns, and ascending an descending stairs.

    Time frame: Baseline, 10 days post surgery, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks post surgery.

  8. Repeated Battery of the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS): Line Orientation Sub-Test

    A test of visual spatial cognition that requires the participant to try and correctly identify the orientation of two lines presented to them with 12 other line options. Scores range from 0-20 based on correctness of line orientation on 10 different trials.

    Time frame: Baseline, 10 days post surgery, and 12 weeks post surgery.

  9. Repeated Battery of the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS): Figure Copy Sub-Test

    A test of visual spatial cognition that requires the participant to copy a multiple shape figure and is scored from 0-20 based on the correctness of the figure copy.

    Time frame: Baseline, 10 days post surgery, and 12 weeks post surgery.

Other outcomes

  1. Two-Minute Walk (2MWT)

    The distance walked in 2 minutes (Two-Minute Walk \[2MWT\]) is a valid and reliable measure of locomotor ability in populations with a variety of chronic diseases. Higher values reflect greater ability.

    Time frame: Baseline, 10 days post surgery, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks post surgery.

  2. Visual Analog Scale of Dizziness

    A single mark will be made along a 10 cm line indicating the amount of dizziness experienced ranging from "no dizziness" to "worst possible dizziness".

    Time frame: Baseline, 10 days post surgery, 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 9 weeks, and 12 weeks post surgery.

  3. Visual Analog Scale of Unsteadiness

    A single mark will be made along a 10 cm line indicating the amount of unsteadiness experienced ranging from "no unsteadiness" to "worst possible unsteadiness".

    Time frame: Baseline, 10 days post surgery, 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 9 weeks, and 12 weeks post surgery.

07

Study locations

1 site
  • University of Utah
    Salt Lake City, Utah 84108, United States
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Mar 19, 2025, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT04594057
Lead sponsor
University of Utah
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Oct 20, 2020
Start date
Dec 10, 2019
Primary completion
Dec 31, 2022
Completion
Dec 31, 2022
Last update
Mar 19, 2025

Oversight

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

Not currently enrolling

This study is terminated, as verified in Oct 2020. 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