Early and phasic cortical metabolic changes in vestibular neuritis onset.

Functional brain activation studies described the presence of separate cortical areas responsible for central processing of peripheral vestibular information and reported their activation and interactions with other sensory modalities and the changes of this network associated to strategic peripheral or central vestibular lesions. It is already known that cortical changes induced by acute unilateral vestibular failure (UVF) are various and undergo variations over time, revealing different cortical involved areas at the onset and recovery from symptoms. The present study aimed at reporting the earliest change in cortical metabolic activity during a paradigmatic form of UVF such as vestibular neuritis (VN), that is, a purely peripheral lesion of the vestibular system, that offers the opportunity to study the cortical response to altered vestibular processing.

P6 acupressure effectiveness on acute vertiginous patients: a double blind randomized study.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of P6 acupressure on vertigo and neurovegetative symptoms, its possible interference with vestibular-ocular reflex (VOR), and its clinical usefulness during acute vertigo.

Materials And Methods: Two hundred and four patients, either affected by acute vertigo (n=124) or undergoing labyrinth stimulation (n=80), were randomly divided in two homogeneous groups: an experimental group A and a placebo group B. Each patient rated severity of vertigo and neurovegetative symptoms on a visuo-analogue scale ranging from 0 to 10, before and after bilateral placement of a P6 device.

Connexin 26 (GJB2) mutations as a cause of the KID syndrome with hearing loss.

KID syndrome (MIM 148210) is an ectodermal dysplasia characterized by the occurrence of localized erythematous scaly skin lesions, keratitis and severe bilateral sensorineural deafness. KID syndrome is inherited as an autosomic dominant disease, due to mutations in the gene encoding gap junction protein GJB2 (connexin 26, Cx26). Cx26 is a component of gap junction channels in the epidermis and in the stria vascularis of the cochlea.

Cerebral plasticity in acute vestibular deficit.

The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of acute vestibular deficit on the cerebral cortex and its correlation with clinical signs and symptoms. Eight right-handed patients affected by vestibular neuritis, a purely peripheral vestibular lesion, underwent two brain single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in 1 month. The first SPECT analysis revealed reduced blood flow in the temporal frontal area of the right hemisphere in seven of eight patients, independent of the right/left location of the lesion.

Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry analysis of body composition in patients affected by OSAS.

Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) is a disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of apnoea. This study evaluates the body composition in OSAS patients compared to normal weight, pre-obese and obese subjects. Body composition has been measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in the whole body and in three different body regions.

Voice disorders and posturography: variables to define the success of rehabilitative treatment.

Previous studies have investigated the relationship between muscular tension, body posture, and voice quality. The aim of this paper is to study the postural pattern during voice production in healthy subjects compared with patients affected by voice disorders and in the same patients before and after vocal treatment by means of static posturography. Classic posturographic variables and spectral frequency analysis of body sway have been measured.

Paroxysmal positional vertigo in skeet shooters and hunters.

Paroxysmal positional vertigo (PPV) is a high prevalence vestibular end organ disorder due to the detachment of the utricular otoconia floating in the posterior or lateral semicircular canal. In the majority of cases the etiology of PPV is unknown and it may follow viral infections, vascular disorders and head trauma. This report presents six cases (out of 520 diagnoses of PPV) of PPV following repeated training sessions of skeet shooting or gun shooting during animal hunting.

Recurrent paroxysmal positional vertigo related to oral contraceptive treatment.

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is a high-prevalence vestibular end-organ disorder caused by the detachment of utricular otoconia which float in the posterior or lateral semicircular canal. In the majority of cases the etiology of BPPV is unknown and it may follow viral infection, vascular disorders or head trauma. BPPV may be recurrent, with some authors demonstrating a correlation between recurrence and female gender.

Posturography frequency analysis of sound-evoked body sway in normal subjects.

Sound-evoked activation of the vestibular system has been suggested for a long time, and myogenic potentials have been recorded at the level of different muscular groups while a high intensity sound was applied. The aim of this study was to analyse sound-evoked postural responses in normal subjects and to correlate them with the activation of the vestibular system. Body sway was measured by posturography and elaborated through spectral frequency analysis in 40 healthy volunteers in the basal condition and after applying a sound stimulus monoaurally.

Indium111 pentetreotide single photon emission computed tomography (In111 pentetreotide SPECT): a new technique to evaluate somatostatin receptors in chordomas.

Chordomas are rare neoplasms originating along the neuraxis. Although they do not usually show cytological atypia, metastases have been reported in 30 per cent of cases. Survival rates in cases of skull base locations are low, and local recurrence is common after local excision.

Paroxysmal positional vertigo as a complication of osteotome sinus floor elevation.

Paroxysmal positional vertigo (PPV) is a high prevalence, vestibular end organ disorder due to the detachment of the utricular otoconia floating in the posterior or lateral semicircular canal. Even though in the majority of cases the etiology of PPV is unknown, it may follow viral infection, vascular disorders and head trauma after different surgical procedures. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between PPV and the surgical trauma induced by the vibratory and percussive forces on the upper maxilla during the osteotome sinus floor elevation procedure.

Vestibular compensation: analysis of postural re-arrangement as a control index for unilateral vestibular deficit.

Patients with an acute unilateral vestibular lesion show an impaired balance control. The initial presentation is vertigo followed by postural instability; but with time, the global balance functions can be completely restored by a process called vestibular compensation. The aim of our study was to evaluate short and long-term variations of postural parameters in 20 patients affected by vestibular neuritis (VN), and to compare these patients to 20 normal individuals using computerized static posturography (CSP) along with patient feedback throughout the spectral frequency analysis.