title: Subjective visual vertical in acute attacks of Ménière's disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether or not and how often there is otolith dysfunction in an acute attack of Ménière's disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-two definite cases of unilateral Ménière's disease diagnosed in accordance with the 1995 criteria of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery for Ménière's disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjective visual vertical (SVV) test was performed before, at, and after acute attacks on 22 patients with unilateral Ménière's disease who showed normal tilts of SVV before acute attacks.
  
  
  METHODS
  Abnormal tilts of SVV.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 22 cases, 14 (63.6%) with unilateral Ménière's disease showed abnormal tilts of SVV in acute attacks. The tilts were toward the side of the affected ear in 13 (92.9%) of them. Abnormal tilts returned to normal within a few weeks after the acute attacks in 12 (85.7%) of the 14 cases with unilateral Ménière's disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Otolith dysfunction occurred in acute attacks in a considerable number of patients with Ménière's disease. Subjective visual vertical can be used as a good tool for the evaluation of otolith dysfunction at acute attacks in patients with Ménière's disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan. kumagami@nagasaki-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hidetaka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kumagami
authors.forename: Yuzuru
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sainoo
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fujiyama
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baba
authors.forename: Ryota
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Oku
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takasaki
authors.forename: Koichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shigeno
authors.forename: Haruo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takahashi
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001259:Ataxia / Q000150:complications; D002150:Caloric Tests; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008575:Meniere Disease / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009759:Nystagmus, Pathologic / Q000150:complications; D010037:Otolithic Membrane / Q000503:physiopathology; D014724:Vestibular Function Tests; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult