745
Views
28
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Article

Vestibular and cochlear neuritis in patients with Ramsay Hunt syndrome: a Gd-enhanced MRI study

, , , , , , & show all
Pages 373-377 | Received 05 Sep 2012, Accepted 11 Nov 2012, Published online: 13 Dec 2012
 

Abstract

Conclusion: It is suggested that vertigo in patients with Ramsay Hunt syndrome is mostly induced by superior vestibular neuritis consecutive to the reactivation of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection from the geniculate ganglion through the faciovestibular anastomosis. Refractory hearing loss in patients with Ramsay Hunt syndrome may be due to cochlear neuritis following the spread of VZV. Objectives: An attempt was made to selectively identify vestibulocochlear nerves in the internal auditory canal (IAC) on gadolinium (Gd)-enhanced MRI in patients with Ramsay Hunt syndrome. Methods: Fourteen patients with Ramsay Hunt syndrome presenting with facial palsy, herpes zoster oticus, vertigo, and/or sensorineural hearing loss were scanned on 1.5 T MRI enhanced with Gd. Perpendicular section images of the IAC were reconstructed to identify the facial, superior, and inferior vestibular nerves and the cochlear nerves separately. Results: All except one of the patients with Ramsay Hunt syndrome with vertigo showed both canal paresis on the caloric test and Gd enhancement of the superior vestibular nerve in the IAC on MRI. Among 10 patients with hearing loss, 3 patients with severe to moderate sensorineural hearing loss showed Gd enhancement of the cochlear nerve in the IAC on MRI.

Acknowledgment

This work was financially supported by Grant-in-Aid from the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Japan.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Log in via your institution

Log in to Taylor & Francis Online

PDF download + Online access

  • 48 hours access to article PDF & online version
  • Article PDF can be downloaded
  • Article PDF can be printed
USD 65.00 Add to cart

Issue Purchase

  • 30 days online access to complete issue
  • Article PDFs can be downloaded
  • Article PDFs can be printed
USD 226.00 Add to cart

* Local tax will be added as applicable

Related Research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.