Vestibular Infants Screening-Flanders

NCT ID: NCT05061069

Last Updated: 2025-02-12

Study Results

Results available

Outcome measurements, participant flow, baseline characteristics, and adverse events have been published for this study.

View full results

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

301 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2018-06-01

Study Completion Date

2022-08-11

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

Hearing-impaired children are at risk for a vestibular impairment, as the auditory and vestibular end organs are closely related. Although this can compromise a child's development on many levels, vestibular testing is not routinely performed in this vulnerable group. This project aims to give each congenitally hearing-impaired child in Flanders (Belgium) access to a basic vestibular screening at a young age and set an example for other regions worldwide.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

The implementation of a vestibular screening in hearing-impaired babies of six months old will timely discover vestibular problems to limit the impact on the (motor) development. The cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential (cVEMP) technique will be used as a vestibular screening tool. Flanders is the first region worldwide that will implement a vestibular screening. All official Flemish reference centres of Kind en Gezin (Child and Family) will participate in this project.

Study purpose:

The final utilisation goal of this project is to limit the impact of a vestibular dysfunction on the (motor) development of children. Since hearing-impaired children have a higher risk for deficits of the vestibular (balance) organ, the researchers will focus on this vulnerable group.

This will be accomplished by:

* The implementation of a standard vestibular screening protocol in Flanders in hearing-impaired children at the age of 6 months, enabling early diagnosis of vestibular deficits and adequate referral for extensive vestibular testing, motor assessment and rehabilitation.
* Increasing the awareness for vestibular dysfunctions and its associated symptoms in hearing-impaired children among parents, teachers, paramedics, specialists and other social workers who are in close contact with hearing-impaired children. This should go hand in hand with more effective patient care, because adequate therapy will start sooner.

Methodology:

The aim of the project is to add a vestibular screening to the existing auditory screening programme (MAICO test). The following steps will be performed to guarantee an accurate vestibular follow-up in Flemish hearing-impaired children:

* In case of a 'refer' on the second MAICO test, Kind en Gezin (Child and Family) will refer the child to the reference centres of Kind en Gezin in Flanders.
* These reference centres will perform a diagnostic hearing test (brainstem evoked response audiometry: BERA) to confirm the permanent hearing loss (standard of care).
* Each child with a confirmed hearing loss (BERA 'refer') will be subjected to a vestibular screening at the age of six months (on average 120/year), combined with tympanometry, in that specific reference centre at the age of six months. The cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential (cVEMP) technique will be used.
* In case of a refer on the vestibular screening (cVEMP 'refer'), the reference centres will refer the child for motor assessment and, if necessary, for rehabilitation.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Vestibular Disorder Hearing Impaired Children

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

NA

Intervention Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Multicenter non-commercial interventional academic research
Primary Study Purpose

DIAGNOSTIC

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Infants with permanent hearing loss

Each infant with permanent hearing loss in Flanders will be offered a vestibular screening by means of the cVEMP (cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials) test to screen for vestibular deficits.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (cVEMP)

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

cVEMPs are ipsilateral, short latency, inhibitory myogenic potentials that assess otolith (mainly saccular) function and the integrity of the inferior branch of the vestibular nerve.

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (cVEMP)

cVEMPs are ipsilateral, short latency, inhibitory myogenic potentials that assess otolith (mainly saccular) function and the integrity of the inferior branch of the vestibular nerve.

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* Flemish children with permanent congenital or delayed-onset hearing loss, which occurred before the age of 9 months, are included.

Exclusion Criteria

* Children with temporary hearing loss (e.g. due to otitis media) are excluded.
Minimum Eligible Age

4 Months

Maximum Eligible Age

24 Months

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Universitaire Ziekenhuizen KU Leuven

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc- Université Catholique de Louvain

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Queen Fabiola Children's University Hospital

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

AZ Turnhout

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Gasthuis Zusters Antwerpen

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

GZA Ziekenhuizen Campus Sint-Augustinus

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

University Hospital, Antwerp

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Jessa Hospital

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Algemeen Stedelijk Ziekenhuis

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Algemeen Ziekenhuis Maria Middelares

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

AZ Delta

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

AZ Sint-Jan AV

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

AZ Sint-Lucas Brugge

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Sint-Lievenspoort Gent

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role collaborator

Center for Developmental and Hearing Disorders

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role collaborator

University Hospital, Ghent

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Leen Maes, Prof. Dr.

Role: STUDY_DIRECTOR

University Ghent

Ingeborg Dhooge, Prof. Dr.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University Hospital, Ghent

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

Ghent University Hospital

Ghent, East-Flanders, Belgium

Site Status

Algemeen Stedelijk Ziekenhuis

Aalst, , Belgium

Site Status

Algemeen Ziekenhuis Maria Middelares

Aalst, , Belgium

Site Status

Eargroup

Antwerp, , Belgium

Site Status

Gasthuis Zusters Antwerpen

Antwerp, , Belgium

Site Status

GZA Ziekenhuizen Campus Sint-Augustinus

Antwerp, , Belgium

Site Status

University Hospital Antwerp

Antwerp, , Belgium

Site Status

AZ Sint-Jan

Bruges, , Belgium

Site Status

AZ Sint-Lucas Brugge

Bruges, , Belgium

Site Status

Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc

Brussels, , Belgium

Site Status

Queen Fabiola Children's University Hospital

Brussels, , Belgium

Site Status

Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel

Brussels, , Belgium

Site Status

Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg

Genk, , Belgium

Site Status

Sint-Lievenspoort Gent

Ghent, , Belgium

Site Status

Jessa Hospital

Hasselt, , Belgium

Site Status

Universitair Ziekenhuis Leuven

Leuven, , Belgium

Site Status

AZ Delta

Menen, , Belgium

Site Status

CAR Stappie

Ostend, , Belgium

Site Status

AZ Turnhout

Turnhout, , Belgium

Site Status

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

Belgium

References

Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.

Martens S, Dhooge I, Dhondt C, Leyssens L, Sucaet M, Vanaudenaerde S, Rombaut L, Maes L. Vestibular Infant Screening - Flanders: The implementation of a standard vestibular screening protocol for hearing-impaired children in Flanders. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2019 May;120:196-201. doi: 10.1016/j.ijporl.2019.02.033. Epub 2019 Feb 25.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 30849604 (View on PubMed)

Martens S, Dhooge I, Dhondt C, Vanaudenaerde S, Sucaet M, Rombaut L, Boudewyns A, Desloovere C, Janssens de Varebeke S, Vinck AS, Vanspauwen R, Verschueren D, Foulon I, Staelens C, Van den Broeck K, De Valck C, Deggouj N, Lemkens N, Haverbeke L, De Bock M, Oz O, Declau F, Devroede B, Verhoye C, Maes L. Vestibular Infant Screening (VIS)-Flanders: results after 1.5 years of vestibular screening in hearing-impaired children. Sci Rep. 2020 Dec 3;10(1):21011. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-78049-z.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 33273502 (View on PubMed)

Dhondt C, Maes L, Rombaut L, Martens S, Vanaudenaerde S, Van Hoecke H, De Leenheer E, Dhooge I. Vestibular Function in Children With a Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection: 3 Years of Follow-Up. Ear Hear. 2021 Jan/Feb;42(1):76-86. doi: 10.1097/AUD.0000000000000904.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 32590628 (View on PubMed)

Martens S, Dhooge I, Dhondt C, Vanaudenaerde S, Sucaet M, Van Hoecke H, De Leenheer E, Rombaut L, Boudewyns A, Desloovere C, Vinck AS, de Varebeke SJ, Verschueren D, Verstreken M, Foulon I, Staelens C, De Valck C, Calcoen R, Lemkens N, Oz O, De Bock M, Haverbeke L, Verhoye C, Declau F, Devroede B, Forton G, Deggouj N, Maes L. Three Years of Vestibular Infant Screening in Infants With Sensorineural Hearing Loss. Pediatrics. 2022 Jul 1;150(1):e2021055340. doi: 10.1542/peds.2021-055340.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 35698886 (View on PubMed)

Provided Documents

Download supplemental materials such as informed consent forms, study protocols, or participant manuals.

Document Type: Study Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan

View Document

Related Links

Access external resources that provide additional context or updates about the study.

http://VIS-Flanders.be/en/

VIS-Flanders website for patients and health care workers

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

T000917N

Identifier Type: OTHER_GRANT

Identifier Source: secondary_id

2018/0435 (BC-2604)

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

More Related Trials

Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.

fNIRS in Pediatric Hearing Aids
NCT04696835 RECRUITING NA