Mastoid Vibration Reduces Ipsilesional Shift of Subjective Visual Horizontal in Patients with Acute Stage of Unilateral Vestibulopathy.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To investigate effect of the vibration on subjective visual horizontal (SVH) in patients with acute stage of unilateral vestibulopathy.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Twenty-five unilateral vestibulopathy patients which analyzed into 42 cases at different time points and suffered from spinning vertigo for more than 24 hours without hearing loss and neurologic abnormality were enrolled. Thirteen subjects with spontaneous nystagmus (>3 degree/sec; averaged symptom onset <1 week) at the time of SVH measurement were classified into the acute unilateral vestibulopathy group (aVU). The other 29 subjects without spontaneous nystagmus were classified into the compensated vestibulopathy group (cVU). SVH was performed with vibration at either mastoid or sterocleidomastoid muscle.

RESULTS: In the analysis of overall subjects, vibration did not significantly change the degree of shift of SVH. However, analyzed by group, the shift of SVH with vibration at ipsilesional mastoid was significantly decreased than baseline in aVU (p<0.05). The shift of SVH with vibration at contralesional mastoid was significantly increased than baseline in cVU (p=0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: The shift of SVH due to vibration in acute stage of unilateral vestibulopathy showed reduction of the shift, while in compensated stage it showed increase of the shift.