Balance and Vestibular Disorders Lab

About the Balance and Vestibular Disorders (BVD) Lab

The Balance and Vestibular Disorders (BVD) Lab, under the direction of William Parkes, MD, works with the Gait Analysis, Auditory Physiology and Psychoacoustics, and other labs to analyze and research a variety of issues related to balance and vestibular disorders in children. These include otitis media, Chiari type 1 malformations, pediatric migraine and others.

The lab is part of the Center for Pediatric Auditory and Speech Services (CPASS) at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware.

Research Interests & Current Projects

Gait Analysis and Vestibular Function

We’re working on a project to analyze gait and vestibular function in a prospectively constructed clinical database of patients with balance and vestibular disorders analyzed by the multidisciplinary Pediatric Balance Disorders Program at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware. The project compares subjective measures of gross motor development and dynamic balance (gait) through the straight-line walking test.

Balance and Otitis Media

A multisite study of the vestibular effects of myringotomy with tube placement on the balance function of children with serous otitis media is also currently underway. This Nemours Children's-funded protocol is shared with the clinical lab in Jacksonville, Fla.

Balance and Chiari Type 1 Malformation

Additionally, in collaboration with Dr. Thierry Morlet, researchers are studying subjective and objective balance disorders in children with Chiari type I malformation. This study is designed to establish the level of subjective balance complaints and objective balance problems in pediatric patients with a specific type of brain malformation.