Triple semicircular canal occlusion: a surgical perspective with short- and long-term outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the short- and long-term outcomes of triple semicircular canal occlusion as a potential alternative for patients with intractable Ménière's disease. METHODS: A retrospective case series was performed in university settings, enrolling patients with intractable Ménière's disease with previous maximum treatment, who underwent transmastoid, triple semicircular canal occlusion. The study documented: pre- and post-operative Dizziness Handicap Inventory scores at six weeks and one year post-treatment, pure tone audiometry, and surgical aspects. RESULTS: Two female patients, aged 42 and 65 years, underwent unilateral three-semicircular-canal occlusion. Their respective Dizziness Handicap Inventory scores improved from 88 to 68 and 54 to 30 at six weeks post-operatively, with scores of 66 and 0 at one year post-treatment. The one patient with pre-existing functional hearing maintained her hearing threshold post-operatively. CONCLUSION: Triple semicircular canal occlusion is a safe, hearing-preserving, extracranial alternative technique that can control rotatory vertigo in patients with intractable Ménière's disease, when other measures have failed.

Evaluation on Effectiveness of a New System as well as Analysis on Optimal Horizontal Eye Position for Vertical Video Head Impulse Test.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the performances among three different systems for video head impulse test (vHIT), and to identify an optimal target angle for precisely evaluating the function of vertical semicircular canals in vHIT. METHODS: A two-center prospective study was done. Participants were sit 1.2 m away from the wall in a noise-proved room that dedicated for vHIT experiments. During the comparison experiments, similar settings were ensured in both hospitals, with the same distance to wall and angle of staring. For each equipment, the procedures followed the developers' recommendations. The same examiner performed the comparison between two systems in one location. For the eye-position projects, targets were placed on the wall sequentially at the pre-marked lines for different angles. For the comparison projects, 9 and 13 participants were recruited, respectively. Any participant with otologic or vestibular disorders was excluded. A total of 26 healthy participants were recruited in the eye-position experiments, 16 of which were further involved in inter-examiner tests. RESULTS: Our evaluations of three different systems showed that a new vHIT system, VertiGoggles® ZT-VNG-I (VG) performed as good as the long-tested Otometrics® ICS impulse (Oto) and EyeSeeCam® (ESC). During the comparison, we validated 25-degree, instead of right ahead at 0 degree, is a better place to set the targets when torsion was applied at vertical semicircular canal planes. CONCLUSION: The new VG system is good for clinical practices. Furthermore, we proposed a new protocol to set the targets 25 degrees from right ahead after tilting head 45 degrees to evaluate vertical canals during vHIT.

Five subtypes of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

BACKGROUND: Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is classified into five subtypes according to the features of positional nystagmus: lateral canalolithiasis, lateral light cupula, lateral heavy cupula, posterior canalolithiasis and posterior heavy cupula. OBJECTIVES: The first aim of the study was to clarify whether the lateral canal type or posterior canal type was more common. The second aim of the study was to assess the aetiology of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo by investigating the onset time of each subtype. METHODS: The subjects were 512 consecutive patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. The patients were prospectively aggregated, and interviews were used to evaluate onset time. RESULTS: The lateral canal type (55.5 per cent) was more common than the posterior canal type (44.5 per cent). Time of awakening was the most common onset time in every subtype. CONCLUSION: The incidence of lateral canal type is higher than that of posterior canal type. The aetiology of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is closely related to sleep.

[Vertigo and dizziness].

Pathophysiology of vertigo/dizziness can be understood by eye deviation (nystagmus). In benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, eye deviation of causative semicircular canal stimulation is directly observed. In other peripheral vestibular disorders, eye deviation results from the sum of unilateral all semicircular canal disorders. The central vestibular pathway is controlled by the cerebellum. Thus, in vertigo/dizziness of central origin, not only eye deviation due to impairment of the central vestibular pathway but also deviation due to disinhibition of the pathway from the cerebellum is observed. The cerebellar control on the central vestibular pathway also plays an important role in vestibular compensation. When treating vertigo/dizziness, it is necessary to understand the pathophysiology of the vertigo/dizziness, to set the treatment target based on the pathophysiology, and to intervene for the target.

Do otosclerosis and stapedotomy affect semicircular canal functions? Preliminary results of video head impulse test.

BACKGROUND: Otosclerosis and stapedotomy have some effects on the vestibular system, but there are very limited data on their effects on semicircular canals (SCCs). OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to investigate if otosclerosis and stapedotomy have an effect on SCCs and video head impulse test (vHIT). MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective study included 11 otosclerosis patients who had undergone stapedotomy and 30 healthy participants. Twenty-two ears of 11 patients with otosclerosis were divided into two groups based on whether the ear had been operated (12 ears) or not (10 ears). All participants underwent vHIT. We compared gains of all SCCs, presence of saccades among the operated ears, unoperated ears and control ears. RESULTS: Significant difference (p<.05) was noted in comparisons of gain of lateral SCCs among all groups. Control group had the highest gain, followed by unoperated and operated groups, respectively. Comparison of incidence of covert saccade showed significant difference (p<.05) for lateral and posterior SCCs. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: Otosclerosis and otosclerosis surgery may have some effects on SCC functions and thereby vHIT. Lateral SCC is the most affected SCC in terms of gain. These findings appear to add important contributions to our knowledge.

Vestibular and cochlear nerve enhancement on MRI and its correlation with vestibulocochlear functional deficits in patients with Ramsay Hunt syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: The correlation between enhancement of the vestibulocochlear nerves on gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and vestibulocochlear functional deficits was examined in patients with Ramsay Hunt syndrome (RHS). METHODS: Nineteen patients with RHS who showed herpes zoster oticus, peripheral facial palsy, and vertigo were enrolled. Canal paresis (CP) in the caloric test, abnormal response to ocular and cervical vestibular myogenic potentials (oVEMP and cVEMP), and refractory sensorineural hearing loss were evaluated. MRI images perpendicular to the internal auditory canal were reconstructed to identify the superior (SVN) and inferior vestibular nerves (IVN) and the cochlear nerve (CV). The signal intensity increase (SIinc) of the four-nerve enhancement was calculated as an index. RESULTS: Among RHS patients, 79%, 53%, 17% and 26% showed CP in the caloric test, abnormal responses to oVEMP and cVEMP, and refractory sensorineural hearing loss, respectively. SIinc rates of the SVN were significantly increased in RHS patients with CP in the caloric test, and with abnormal responses to oVEMP and cVEMP. SIinc rates of the SVN tended to increase in RHS patients with refractory sensorineural hearing loss (p = 0.052). SIinc rates of the IVN were significantly increased in RHS patients with abnormal responses to oVEMP and cVEMP, and refractory sensorineural hearing loss, but not in those with CP in the caloric test. SIinc rates of the CN were significantly increased in RHS patients with CP in the caloric test, abnormal response to oVEMP and refractory sensorineural hearing loss, but not in those with abnormal response to cVEMP. CONCLUSION: In patients with RHS, the origin of vertigo may be superior vestibular neuritis, which is affected by reactive varicella-zoster virus from the geniculate ganglion of the facial nerve through the faciovestibular anastomosis. The results also suggested that in some RHS patients, inferior vestibular neuritis contributes to the development of vertigo and that the origin of refractory sensorineural hearing loss is cochlear neuritis.

The characteristics of vHIT gain and PR score in peripheral vestibular disorders.

BACKGROUND: Clinical application of vHIT is limited due to a lack of interpretation of vHIT gain and saccades. OBJECTIVES: This research focuses on comparing common vertigo diseases on vHIT gain and saccade divergence(PR score). MATERIAL AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 165 patients who have one definite diagnosis, good data quality, and can be read by MATLAB software. All patients were grouped into unilateral vestibular dysfunction (UVD), Meniere's disease (MD), vestibular migraine (VM), Ramsay Hunt Syndrome (RHS), bilateral vestibular hypofunction (BVH), benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), and acoustic neuroma (AN). PR score was calculated by an open-source software HitCal. RESULTS: The saccade detection rate is higher than the abnormal vHIT gain on UVD, MD, VM, RHS, BVH and BPPV. PR score combined with vHIT gain could separate the affected side in UVD and RHS. In the MD group, both vHIT gain and PR score have inconspicuous performance. We also found that different compensation levels and hearing loss status affect results. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: vHIT gain combined with PR score enables a proper distinction among common vertigo diseases. PR score is more sensitive than the gain value on evaluating the physiological situation, vestibular compensation and disease progression.

Assessment of the effects of menopause on semicircular canal using the video head impulse test.

This cross-sectional study included early menopausal and late menopausal women aged between 40 and 60 years to evaluate the effects of menopause on semicircular canal function. A video head impulse test (vHIT) was performed for all subjects. Vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) mean gains of each semicircular canal and gain asymmetry were compared between groups. Of the 87 subjects, 37(42.5%) were reproductive age 28(32.5%) were early menopausal and 22(25.3%) were late menopausal patients. VOR gain of semicircular canals or gain asymmetry values did not differ between groups. In postmenopausal women, presence of vasomotor symptoms was associated with higher gain asymmetry of the left anterior-right posterior (LARP) plane (p = .01), and presence of balance problems was associated with lower right anterior (RA) VOR gain (p = .01). In conclusion semicircular canal function in postmenopausal women was similar to that in women of reproductive age.IMPACT STATEMENTWhat is already known on this subject? During menopause, women face potential risks such as dizziness, balance problems, falls and fractures. Postmenopausal patients were tested with dynamic posturography to measure balance before and after oestrogen treatment, and it was shown that balance problems significantly improved with oestrogen treatment. Healthy vestibular system is one of the components for sustaining normal balance.What do the results of this study add? In postmenopausal women the function of the semicircular canals is normal and the balance deficit in postmenopausal women may not be caused by the vestibular system. In this study changes within normal limits were observed in vestibular system of postmenopausal women.What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? Reported balance deficits might have been due to central origin. Further research to differentiate origin of balance deficits are needed. Specific research on symptomatic postmenopausal patients would reveal more information.

Effects of Occlusion and Conductive Hearing Loss on Bone-Conducted cVEMP.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of conductive hearing loss and occlusion on bone-conducted cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (cVEMPs). STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study conducted in the year 2018. The right ear of each volunteer was evaluated under 3 conditions by using bone-conducted cVEMPs: normal (open external auditory canal), occluded (conductive hearing loss with occlusion effect), and closed (conductive hearing loss without the occlusion effect). SETTING: Single academic center. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study comprised 30 healthy volunteers aged 20 to 35 years (16 women, 14 men). All had normal hearing and no vestibular or auditory pathologies. The thresholds and amplitudes of cVEMP responses were recorded for the 3 conditions. The results of each condition for a particular participant were compared. RESULTS: As compared with the open condition, the conductive condition increased thresholds by 2.8 dB (P = .01), and the occluded condition decreased thresholds by 3.8 dB (P = .008). The amplitude in the occluded condition was larger than the normal condition and the conductive condition (mean difference: 20.64 [P = .009] and 31.76 [P < .001], respectively). CONCLUSION: The occlusion effect is present in cVEMP responses. The mechanism is not due to the conductive hearing loss induced. Clinical implications include potentially altering vestibular function with sealed hearing aids and in the surgically modified ears (ie, obliterated ears and open cavity mastoidectomy).

Pseudo-spontaneous nystagmus in lateral semicircular canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo: Correlation with bow and lean test in a pitch plane.

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the incidence and characteristics of pseudo-spontaneous nystagmus (PSN) in benign paroxysmal positional vertigo involving the lateral semicircular canal (LC-BPPV) and evaluated the correlation between PSN and the bow and lean test. METHODS: We examined nystagmus in the sitting position using video-oculography goggles in 131 LC-BPPV patients. The positioning test and bow and lean test were also performed. Patients were divided into canalolithiasis and cupulolithiasis groups according to the character of nystagmus. In each group, the incidence and direction of PSN, correlation with the bow and lean test, and treatment outcome were analyzed. RESULTS: PSN was observed in 25 cases (19.1%) in LC-BPPV patients, 7 of which were canalolithiasis and 18 of which were cupulolithiasis (p = 0.098). Of the 25 patients with PSN, 21 (84%) exhibited nystagmus consistent with the lean test whereas 4 (16%) exhibited nystagmus consistent with the bow test. In patients with PSN, nystagmus was observed in the bow and lean test in all cases (23/23), but in patients without PSN, no nystagmus was observed in 13 cases (13/87) in the bow and lean test (p = 0.048). The number of barbecue maneuvers performed until the end of treatment was 1.4 ± 0.7 in patients with PSN and 1.4 ± 0.9 in those without PSN (p = 0.976). CONCLUSION: We identified PSN in patients with LC-BPPV irrelevant of subtype. Moreover, all patients with PSN showed nystagmus in the bow and lean test. The direction of PSN was mostly consistent with that of the lean test (21/25, 84%). The presence of PSN was not related to the treatment outcome in this study.

Bone-conduction hyperacusis induced by superior canal dehiscence in human: the underlying mechanism.

Our ability to hear through bone conduction (BC) has long been recognized, but the underlying mechanism is poorly understood. Why certain perturbations affect BC hearing is also unclear. An example is BC hyperacusis (hypersensitive BC hearing)-an unnerving symptom experienced by patients with superior canal dehiscence (SCD). We measured BC-evoked sound pressures in scala vestibuli (PSV) and scala tympani (PST) at the basal cochlea in cadaveric human ears, and estimated hearing by the cochlear input drive (PDIFF = PSV - PST) before and after creating an SCD. Consistent with clinical audiograms, SCD increased BC-driven PDIFF below 1 kHz. However, SCD affected the individual scalae pressures in unexpected ways: SCD increased PSV below 1 kHz, but had little effect on PST. These new findings are inconsistent with the inner-ear compression mechanism that some have used to explain BC hyperacusis. We developed a computational BC model based on the inner-ear fluid-inertia mechanism, and the simulated effects of SCD were similar to the experimental findings. This experimental-modeling study suggests that (1) inner-ear fluid inertia is an important mechanism for BC hearing, and (2) SCD facilitates the flow of sound volume velocity through the cochlear partition at low frequencies, resulting in BC hyperacusis.

Vestibular mapping in patients with unilateral peripheral-vestibular deficits.

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that patterns of semicircular canal (SCC) and otolith impairment in unilateral vestibular loss depend on the underlying disorders, we analyzed peripheral-vestibular function of all 5 vestibular sensors. METHODS: For this retrospective case series, we screened the hospital video-head-impulse test database (n = 4,983) for patients with unilaterally impaired SCC function who also received ocular vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials and cervical vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (n = 302). Frequency of impairment of vestibular end organs (horizontal/anterior/posterior SCC, utriculus/sacculus) was analyzed with hierarchical cluster analysis and correlated with the underlying etiology. RESULTS: Acute vestibular neuropathy (AVN) (37.4%, 113 of 302), vestibular schwannoma (18.2%, 55 of 302), and acute cochleovestibular neuropathy (6.6%, 20 of 302) were most frequent. Horizontal SCC impairment (87.4%, 264 of 302) was more frequent (p < 0.001) than posterior (47.4%, 143 of 302) and anterior (37.8%, 114 of 302) SCC impairment. Utricular damage (58%, 175 of 302) was noted more often (p = 0.003) than saccular impairment (32%, 98 of 302). On average, 2.6 (95% confidence interval 2.48-2.78) vestibular sensors were deficient, with higher numbers (p ≤ 0.017) for acute cochleovestibular neuropathy and vestibular schwannoma than for AVN, Menière disease, and episodic vestibular syndrome. In hierarchical cluster analysis, early mergers (posterior SCC/sacculus; anterior SCC/utriculus) pointed to closer pathophysiologic association of these sensors, whereas the late merger of the horizontal canal indicated a more distinct state. CONCLUSIONS: While the extent and pattern of vestibular impairment critically depended on the underlying disorder, more limited damage in AVN and Menière disease was noted, emphasizing the individual range of loss of function and the value of vestibular mapping. Likely, both the anatomic properties of the different vestibular end organs and their vulnerability to external factors contribute to the relative sparing of the vertical canals and the sacculus.

Canalith repositioning procedure improves gait and static balance in people with posterior semicircular canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

BACKGROUND: Investigations measuring gait tests have rarely been studied in the benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) population. OBJECTIVE: Examine instrumented mobility metrics in people with posterior semicircular canal BPPV. We examined the impact of a canalith repositioning procedure (CRP), prior to and after treatment on instrumented mobility measures, comparing the scores to those of healthy controls. METHODS: At baseline, the subject performed a series of instrumented gait and balance tests and then, the CRP was performed. At re-evaluation (1-week later), identical gait and balance tests were assessed. In addition, the Hallpike-Dix test identified patients who had improved or had not improved in their BPPV signs and symptoms. RESULTS: Thirty-two people with BPPV (25 women) and 15 healthy subjects participated in the study. At baseline (pre-CRP), people with BPPV demonstrated an increased vestibular ratio, and walked more slowly compared with the healthy controls. The CRP resolved the vertigo in 90.6% of the BPPV subjects. Compared with the pre-CRP scores, the BPPV subjects demonstrated a decreased vestibular ratio and faster walking at the post-CRP evaluation. Out of the five parameters that were significantly different from the healthy values pre-CRP, only one remained different post-CRP. CONCLUSIONS: Besides vertigo and balance difficulties, people with BPPV demonstrate walking modifications. Furthermore, the CRP has a high success rate in improving not only vertigo but also in restoring gait and balance in persons with BPPV.

[Cochleo-vestibular lesions and prognosis in patients with profound sudden sensorineural hearing loss: a comparative analysis].

Objective: To investigate the characteristics of cochleo-vestibular dysfunction in patients with profound sudden deafness, and the prognosis of inner ear hemorrhage. Methods: From January 2017 to December 2018, 92 inpatients with profound sudden sensorineural hearing loss were enrolled in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University. Our studied patients included 47 males and 45 females, aged 20-78 (39.3±6.1) years. According to the results of inner ear magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the patients were divided into two groups: inner ear hemorrhage group and non-inner ear hemorrhage group. The clinical features, vestibular tests and audiological examination results during follow up were compared between the two groups. SPSS 22.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Results: The inner ear hemorrhage group consisted of 32 cases (34.8%, 32/92), all of whom complained of vertigo (100%, 32/32). Simultaneous vertigo attack and hearing loss occurred in 78.1% of this group (24/32). Neither semicircular canals function, nor cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential (c-VEMP), nor ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potential (o-VEMP) in the affected side was normal (100%, 32/32). The rates of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) and disequilibrium were 37.5% (12/32) and 25.0% (8/32) respectively. Hearing improved in 28.1% (9/32) two weeks after treatment, and became stable at one month's follow up. In 60 cases without inner ear hemorrhage, 58.3% of them (35/60) experienced vertigo, which occurred simultaneously with hearing loss in 21 patients (60%, 21/35). The abnormal rates of semicircular canals function, c-VEMP and o-VEMP were 71.6% (43/60), 78.3% (47/60) and 66.7% (40/60), respectively. The incidence of BPPV was 16.7% (10/60) and 8.3% (5/60) in cases with disequilibrium. Hearing improved in 58.3% (35/60) two week after treatment, and became stable at three months' follow up. Significant difference was found in either vertigo rate, or simultaneous vertigo/hearing loss rate, or abnormal c-VEMP/o-VEMP rates, or accompanying BPPV, or disequilibrium rates between the two groups (P<0.05 each). Moreover, we observed better hearing recovery in non-inner ear hemorrhage group in the two weeks, one month, three months and six months' follow up, when compared with those in inner ear hemorrhage groups (P<0.05 each). Conclusions: Inner ear hemorrhage is associated with more severe cochlea-vestibular lesion and poorer prognosis, in comparison to the non-inner ear hemorrhage,in patients with profound sudden sensorineural hearing loss.

Treatment of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo with the TRV Reposition Chair.

OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of this study was to evaluate how successful the reposition of retractable benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) was when treating patients with the Thomas Richard Vitton (TRV) reposition chair. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a prospective clinical trial. A total of 81 BPPV patients who were referred to the tertiary Balance - Dizziness Centre at the Department of Otolaryngology, Head - Neck Surgery and Audiology, Aalborg University Hospital, Denmark were included and analyzed. All the patients were diagnosed and treated with the TRV reposition chair. RESULTS: The patients were successfully treated after an average of 2.23 (± 1.66 SD) treatments with the TRV reposition chair. There was a significant difference between the number of treatments needed in the single semicircular canal group and the multicanal group. Seventeen (22.6%) of the patients experienced either dislocation of otoconia, relapse, or new onset of BPPV during the trial period. The number of patients with BPPV located to the anterior, lateral, and multiple semicircular canals in this study was significantly higher than that in similar studies. Six patients (7.4%) were classified as treatment failures. CONCLUSION: We found the TRV reposition chair to be very successful in the diagnostics and treatment of patients with retractable and atypical BPPV. However, 7.4% experienced treatment failure.

Ictal downbeat nystagmus in Ménière disease: A cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the mechanism of ictal downbeat nystagmus in Ménière disease (MD), we compared the head impulse gain of the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) for each semicircular canal between patients with (n = 7) and without (n = 70) downbeat nystagmus during attacks of MD. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the results of video-oculography, video head-impulse tests, and cervical vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs) in 77 patients with definite MD who were evaluated during an attack. RESULTS: Pure or predominant downbeat nystagmus was observed in 7 patients (9%) with unilateral MD during the attacks. All 7 patients showed spontaneous downbeat nystagmus without visual fixation with a slow phase velocity ranging from 1.5 to 11.2°/s (median 5.4, interquartile range 3.7-8.5). All showed a transient decrease of the head impulse VOR gains for the posterior canals (PCs) in both ears (n = 4) or in the affected ear (n = 3). Cervical VEMPs were decreased in the affected (n = 2) or both ears (n = 2) when evaluated during the attacks. Downbeat nystagmus disappeared along with normalization of the VOR gains for PCs after the attacks in all patients. During the attacks, the head impulse VOR gains for the PC on the affected side were lower in the patients with ictal downbeat nystagmus than in those without (Mann-Whitney U test, p < 0.001), while the gains for other semicircular canals did not differ between the groups. CONCLUSION: Downbeat nystagmus may be observed during attacks of MD due to an asymmetry in the vertical VOR or saccular dysfunction. MD should be considered in recurrent audiovestibulopathy and ictal downbeat nystagmus.

Nystagmus in patients with lateral semicircular canal dysplasia.

BACKGROUND: Dizziness is not a common symptom in the lateral semicircular canal (LSCC) dysplasia, and nystagmus findings has been rarely described in LSCC dysplasia. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the characteristics of spontaneous and positional nystagmus in patients with LSCC dysplasia. METHODS: Patterns of spontaneous and positional nystagmus of twelve patients with LSCC dysplasia, who visited our clinic with a chief complaint of dizziness, were investigated. RESULTS: LSCC dysplasia was observed unilaterally in 4, and bilaterally in 8 patients. Non-rotatory dizziness with various onset times was the most common description of dizziness, and unilateral caloric weakness was observed in 82% of patients. Direction-fixed nystagmus, in which the direction of spontaneous nystagmus was same with that of positional nystagmus, was observed in 9 patients, and direction-changing positional nystagmus, in which the direction of nystagmus was changed from that of spontaneous nystagmus by positioning maneuvers, was observed in 3 patients, of whom down-beating or direction-changing spontaneous nystagmus was observed in one patient each. CONCLUSION: While direction-fixed horizontal nystagmus is the most commonly observed type of nystagmus in LSCC dysplasia, atypical spontaneous nystagmus, such as down-beating nystagmus or direction-changing spontaneous nystagmus, may be observed in patients with bilateral LSCC dysplasia.

Video head impulse testing in patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

BACKGROUND: Vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) function is expected to be normal in patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) during sudden head rotations. AIM: The aim of this study is to analyze VOR by video head impulse test (vHIT) in patients with BPPV in order to determine the potential value of clinical application of vHIT in BPPV. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Sixty patients with BPPV were included for the study from out-patient admissions. The main outcome measures were the gain of VOR, gain asymmetry, and refixation saccades. Fifteen healthy subjects with no history of dizziness were selected as normal control. RESULTS: Mean VOR gain during lateral head impulse in patients with geotropic type LC BPPV was 0.85 ± 0.22. Mean VOR gain during lateral head impulse in patients with ageotropic type LC BPPV was 0.78 ± 0.16. Fourteen patients with PC BPPV (35%; 40/13) had low gain during ipsilesional head impulses. Seven patients had low gain during counterlesional head impulses. Mean VOR gain during vertical head impulse in patients with PC BPPV was 0.73 ± 0.24. Nine patients with posterior canal BPPV (25%; 9/40) and 2 patients with LC BPPV (11%; 2/18) had corrective saccades. None of the results showed significant difference in comparison to control group. CONCLUSION AND SIGNIFICANCE: VHIT analysis demonstrated that VOR function was normal on the BPPV side.

Influence of vestibular rehabilitation on the recovery of all vestibular receptor organs in patients with unilateral vestibular hypofunction.

BACKGROUND: Only a few studies in the literature demonstrate the effect of vestibular rehabilitation (VR) on all vestibular receptor organs. Furthermore, very little evidence of the effect of VR on isolated otolith dysfunction (IOD) is available. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to investigate the effect of VR on all vestibular receptor organs in patients with different types of unilateral vestibular hypofunction (UVH). METHODS: We enrolled 80 patients with three different types of UVH; combined and isolated loss of semicircular canal and otolith organ function. All patients performed a 12-week customized program of VR and received a full battery of vestibular function tests, before and after the VR. The DHI and SF-36 were performed before, after 6 weeks, and 12 weeks of the VR. RESULTS: Parameters of the caloric test, video head impulse test, ocular and cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials were significantly improved after VR. A total of 59 (74%) patients fully recovered, with no significant difference in recovery regarding the type (p = 0.13) and stage of UVH (p = 0.13). All patients reported significantly lower disability and a better quality of life after the VR based on the DHI and SF-36 score. CONCLUSIONS: Vestibular rehabilitation has a positive effect on the recovery of all vestibular receptor organs and it should be used in patients with IOD.