Система Orphus

Symptoms of disease - violation of the vestibular apparatus

Normal balanced functioning of the vestibular apparatus of the human body is necessary for the maintenance of the vertical position of the body and the implementation of the agreed movements when moving in space, the stabilization of the position of the head and fixation of gaze, formation of spatial orientation. Thus, any violation of the vestibular apparatus entails a breach of the above functions.

In violation of various departments of the vestibular analyzer there are specific symptoms, the analysis of which allows otorhinolaryngologist find out the localization of disease - from the receptors of the semicircular canals of the inner ear to the brain cortex.

Symptoms of vestibular apparatus are often caused by the swelling in the area of the semicircular canals of the inner ear, the posterior cranial fossa with damage acoustic nerve or its vestibular nuclei in the brain, the development of intracranial hypertension. A pathologic process, causing the development of symptoms of the defeat of the vestibular apparatus, can be a tumor, inflammation or vascular.

The main manifestations of vestibular violations - a feeling of dizziness and jumping of the eyeball - nystagmus. In addition possible accompanying symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, impaired balance, decrease of the temperature of the body, changing the rhythm of breathing, heart rate, fluctuations of blood pressure, increased sweating, changing the reaction of pupils on light, pale or redness of the face, neck.

Symptoms of vestibular disorders can occur suddenly, paroxysmal, with more or less regular intervals between attacks, as, for example, when the disease Meniere. In interictal period patients feel practically healthy, however, often remain vestibular violations arising from the change of the position of the head, the sharp smells, sounds, air humidity changes, etc.

The diagnosis of the main disease-causing vestibular violations, requires a detailed examination of the patient with the use of audiometry, ultrasound dopplerography of vertebral arteries, computed tomography of the brain and other modern methods of examination.



Which diseases there is violation of the vestibular apparatus

The main causes of violations of the vestibular apparatus:

1. Benign positional vertigo occurs at any age, but usually after the age of 60. This is one of the most frequent causes of vestibular vertigo in clinical practice. Sometimes it is preceded by the CCT, otitis media, ischemia in vertebrobasilar the pool, but in half of the cases the reason of finding out is not possible. The clinical picture is quite characteristic - short-term bouts of dizziness, repeated every time, when a patient changes the position of the body (gets up from the bed and lie in it, to turn from side to side, tips or throws back her head). Approximately half of patients with periods of exacerbation with frequent attacks alternate with spontaneous remissions, continuing from several weeks to several years.

2. Vestibular neuritis (vestibular neuronitis, acute peripheral vestibulopathy) - one of the most frequent causes of violations of the vestibular apparatus, associated with lesions of the peripheral vestibular apparatus or vestibular nerve. The disease is possible in any age. In some cases, a few weeks before the onset of the disease is marked infection of the upper respiratory tract, which points to a possible viral nature of the disease. violation of the vestibular apparatus -
Normal balanced functioning of the vestibular apparatus of the human body is necessary for the maintenance of the vertical position of the body and the implementation of the agreed movements when moving in space, the stabilization of the position of the head and fixation of gaze, formation of spatial orientation. Thus, any violation of the vestibular apparatus entails a breach of the above functions.

In violation of various departments of the vestibular analyzer there are specific symptoms, the analysis of which allows otorhinolaryngologist find out the localization of disease - from the receptors of the semicircular canals of the inner ear to the brain cortex.

Symptoms of vestibular apparatus are often caused by the swelling in the area of the semicircular canals of the inner ear, the posterior cranial fossa with damage acoustic nerve or its vestibular nuclei in the brain, the development of intracranial hypertension. A pathologic process, causing the development of symptoms of the defeat of the vestibular apparatus, can be a tumor, inflammation or vascular.

The main manifestations of vestibular violations - a feeling of dizziness and jumping of the eyeball - nystagmus. In addition possible accompanying symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, impaired balance, decrease of the temperature of the body, changing the rhythm of breathing, heart rate, fluctuations of blood pressure, increased sweating, changing the reaction of pupils on light, pale or redness of the face, neck.

Symptoms of vestibular disorders can occur suddenly, paroxysmal, with more or less regular intervals between attacks, as, for example, when the disease Meniere. In interictal period patients feel practically healthy, however, often remain vestibular violations arising from the change of the position of the head, the sharp smells, sounds, air humidity changes, etc.

The diagnosis of the main disease-causing vestibular violations, requires a detailed examination of the patient with the use of audiometry, ultrasound dopplerography of vertebral arteries, computed tomography of the brain and other modern methods of examination.

For which diseases is a violation of the vestibular apparatus:



The main causes of violations of the vestibular apparatus:

1. Benign positional vertigo occurs at any age, but usually after the age of 60. This is one of the most frequent causes of vestibular vertigo in clinical practice. Sometimes it is preceded by the CCT, otitis media, ischemia in vertebrobasilar the pool, but in half of the cases the reason of finding out is not possible. The clinical picture is quite characteristic - short-term bouts of dizziness, repeated every time, when a patient changes the position of the body (gets up from the bed and lie in it, to turn from side to side, tips or throws back her head). Approximately half of patients with periods of exacerbation with frequent attacks alternate with spontaneous remissions, continuing from several weeks to several years.

2. Vestibular neuritis (vestibular neuronitis, acute peripheral vestibulopathy) - one of the most frequent causes of violations of the vestibular apparatus, associated with lesions of the peripheral vestibular apparatus or vestibular nerve. The disease is possible in any age. In some cases, a few weeks before the onset of the disease is marked infection of the upper respiratory tract, which points to a possible viral nature of the disease. Urgently develop a strong rotational dizziness, nausea, repeated vomiting, horizontally-rotatory nystagmus with a rapid phase, pointing in the direction of a healthy ear. The slightest movement of the head increases dizziness, therefore, patients sometimes specifically support the head. Severe dizziness with repeated vomiting usually lasts no more than 3-4 days, but complete recovery occurs within a few weeks, although the elderly may last for several months. Sometimes after a few months or years of relapses occur. If the condition does not improve within 1 month, it is necessary to send the patient to the CT scan or MRI to rule out the Central defeat, and to audiometriu to exclude the disease Meniere.

3. Vertebrobasilar failure - a common cause of violations of the vestibular apparatus in elderly patients with vascular risk factors. The cause of dizziness can be ischemia of the labyrinth, the vestibular nerve and/or the trunk. Dizziness begins acutely, continues for a few minutes and is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, poor balance. Ischemia adjacent departments of the trunk is usually cause additional symptoms: impaired vision, duplication, dysarthria, fall, weakness and numbness in the extremities. Dizzy spells are often the first symptom of vertebrobasilar insufficiency, but if these episodes are repeated for many months and even more years, and the other symptoms do not appear, then the diagnosis vertebrobasilar insufficiency should be questioned. Cause vertebrobasilar failure can be atherosclerosis subclavian, the vertebral or basilar artery, less cardiogenic embolism, high viscosity of blood (hyperlipidemia, fibrinosis, policitemia, etc.), vasculitis. Sometimes vertebrobasilar failure provoke ortostatical gipotenzia or seizures Morgagni-Adams-Stokes equations. Contrary to popular opinion, vertebrobasilar failure rarely explain purely mechanical compression of vertebral arteries caused by cervical osteochondrosis.

4. More persistent violation of the vestibular apparatus, accompanied by a decrease in hearing, occurs when the occlusion of the internal auditory artery. Badly formed dizziness, accompanied by cerebellar Friedreich's and nystagmus, may be a manifestation of cerebellar a heart attack or a bleeding - condition, requiring urgent intervention in view of the threat of pressure in the brain stem - quick death.

5. Chronic bilateral vestibulopathy are slow-growing breach of the stability and moderate (unlike unilateral lesions) dizziness. Sometimes there are also hearing loss and oscillopsia - jumping blurred image in the eyes of the movement of his head. Most cases are associated with intoxication ototoxic drugs (aminoglycosides, most often gentamicin). Violation of the vestibular apparatus is usually not earlier than 3 weeks of treatment. In the early discontinuation of the drug vestibular function may not recover, in which case a violation of the vestibular function becomes irreversible. Less syndrome is caused by loopback diuretics, drug, solvent. A similar syndrome is possible and in some hereditary spinocerebellar ataxia.

6. The disease Meniere is manifested 4 the main symptoms: episodic vertigo, noise in the ear, as a rule, low-frequency, the feeling of stuffiness and expansion in your ear, fluctuating reduced hearing. Dizziness reaches a maximum in several minutes and then regress within a few hours. After an acute episode a few days remain volatility and moderate dizziness. At the early stage of the hearing loss is reversible, but from attack to attack the ears of being lost. Noise in the ear becomes permanent, seeking to attack and during it. The frequency of attacks varied, sometimes they are separated by long remissions. In some patients there are sudden fall without disturbance of consciousness or related neurological disorders, caused by the irritation of the vestibular receptors sudden increase in pressure in the inner ear. Some patients have bouts of dizziness may some time be the only manifestation of the attack, while the other symptoms (noise in the ear, hearing loss) is missing or go to the second plan.

7. Post-traumatic vertigo develops after traumatic brain injury may be associated with a concussion of the maze, fractures of the temporal bone (in this case usually suffer not only vestibular, but also auditory part of the nerve, as well as the facial nerve), education perillo phatic fistula. In the latter case, dizziness, when amplified sneezing and straining.

8. Other diseases of the ear. Sometimes the cause of violations of the vestibular apparatus are sulphuric cork, otoscleros, dysfunction of the Eustachian tube, often associated with pathology of the temporo-jaw joint (in this case, the condition is sometimes easier rubber gasket between the teeth, inserted at night). Dizziness may occur acute otitis media, if that is complicated by purulent labyrinthitis. Meniere's like syndrome is also described in chronic average otitis, can in some cases cause the secondary endolymphatic dropsy. Сподін Ігор Юрійович

9. The tumor cerebellopontine angle of rare cause of violations of the vestibular apparatus. Neurinoma the auditory nerve is slow progressive (but sometimes sharp) hearing impairment and noise in the ear. Rotary vertigo is rare, but there is often a feeling of instability. Duplex neurinoma the auditory nerve may occur when neurofibromatosis, therefore, you should pay attention to the multiple skin spots of natural coffee and milk colors and skin neurofibromas.

10. Baziliarnaya migraine. Paroxysms of dizziness may be the only manifestation of the migraine. Migraine dizziness nature especially common in adolescent girls. Migraine dizziness nature rarely lasts more than 1 hour. Many of these patients are marked tendency to motion sickness and a positive family history.

11. Epilepsy. Short-term violation of the vestibular apparatus may be a manifestation of epileptic seizure, but in this case it is often accompanied by stereotypical sensory (visual hallucinations), the vegetative (discomfort in epigastria, nausea, salivation) or motor phenomena (chewing movements), as well as the violation of consciousness, to the effect that during the attack at least temporarily lost contact with the patients. Isolated dizziness rarely has epileptic nature.

12. When combined dizziness with cerebellar Friedreich's, speech disorders, swallowing and nystagmus down, you should think about craniovertebral anomalies. Attack of the rotary vertigo with nausea and vomiting may be the debut manifestation of multiple sclerosis (a plaque in this case can localize in the outlet from the trunk kohleo vestibular nerve).



Which doctor should I contact if there is a violation of the vestibular apparatus

  • An otholaryngologist


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Do you feel disrupted vestibular apparatus? You should be very careful approach to your health in general. People pay not enough attention to the symptoms of the disease and don't realize that these diseases can be critically dangerous. There are many diseases that in the beginning didn't manifest in our body, but in the end it turns out, unfortunately, it have already been treated too late. Every disease has its own specific features typical symptoms - called symptoms of the disease. Definition of symptoms is the first step in the diagnosis of diseases in general. You just need a few times a year to be screened by a doctor, not only to prevent a terrible disease, but also to maintain a healthy spirit in a body and the organism in general.

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Map of the symptoms and the types of disorders is intended solely for educational purposes. We strongly recommend do NOT self-medicate; on all matters relating to the definition of the disease and ways of its treatment, contact your doctor. Md-tips is not responsible for the consequences of use information posted on the site.