SVV Straight Visual Vertical Test Assessment

The measurement of subjective visual vertical (SVV) can serve as a diagnostic indicator of utricular otolith (dys)function, and involves an individual’s ability to adjust a vertical line to be parallel with gravity in the absence of visual cues. Measurement of SVV can take many forms, from inexpensive conventional tests to more involved clinical tests. This article reviews three of these tests with particular focus on the Virtual SVV goggle

Unfortunately, many of the tests used in clinical practice cannot directly diagnose Acute Vestibular Syndrome (AVS), Ménière’s disease, vestibular migraine, and many central pathologies. Specifically, the tests used point us toward/away from a particular diagnosis. Beck, et al1 note the professional is “tasked with relying on and interpreting the patient’s history and physical findings, combined with subjective reports and non-exclusive test findings…” from which an eventual differential diagnosis emerges.