Vestibular Recruitment in Menibre's Disease

Abstract

Patients with unilateral Menière's disease were investigated with regard to vestibular recruitment. They were accelerated clockwise and counterclockwise respectively at l°, 2°, 4°, and 8°/sec². After each acceleration, there was an interval of about 6 minutes at constant velocity. Latency times, crescendo times, and after-discharges were studied. The results were compared with those obtained for a control material consisting of healthy persons. On acceleration to the affected ear the latency times for the patients with Menière's disease were longer than on acceleration to the healthy ear. However, the difference was not statistically significant. On the other hand, compared with the latency times of the control material they were significantly longer statistically on acceleration at 1° and 4°/sec². When the acceleration strength to the affected ear was increased from 1° to 8°/sec² the latency time was decreased to a significantly greater extent than for the corresponding increase in acceleration in the control material. The crescendo times for the patients with Menière's disease were the same on acceleration to the affected and to the healthy ear, and were throughout slightly longer than in the control material. The after-discharges were of the same length on acceleration both to the healthy and to the affected ear. At l°, 2°, and 4°/sec² they were significantly shorter statistically than the after-discharges of the control material. On increasing the acceleration strength from 1° to 8°/sec² the after-discharges were prolonged to a significantly greater extent statistically than in the control material. The investigations have shown that patients with unilateral Menière's disease display positive vestibular recruitment with regard to both latency times and after-discharges.