Inferior vestibular neuritis: a novel subtype of vestibular neuritis.
OBJECTIVE
To report eight cases of inferior vestibular neuritis, in order to raise awareness of this new subtype of vestibular neuritis.


METHODS
We retrospectively analysed 216 patients (104 males and 112 females; age range 10-64 years; mean age 38.4 years) with full clinical documentation who had attended our hospital's vertigo clinic between May 2007 and December 2008. All patients underwent systematic investigation, including hearing tests, radiology, caloric testing and vestibular evoked myogenic potential testing.


RESULTS
Of 216 patients with vestibular neuritis, eight cases were diagnosed as inferior vestibular neuritis, based on comprehensive analysis of test data. The clinical features of these eight patients were consistent with the characteristics of vestibular neuritis. The results of pure tone audiometry and caloric testing were normal, and the possibility of central lesions was excluded by cerebral computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging on admission. Six cases had unilateral loss of vestibular evoked myogenic potentials, whereas two had a unilateral lower amplitude of vestibular evoked myogenic potentials.


CONCLUSIONS
Inferior vestibular neuritis is a novel subtype of vestibular neuritis, which involves the inferior vestibular nerve alone. Vestibular evoked myogenic potential testing is a useful aid to the diagnosis of inferior vestibular neuritis.
Zhang
D
D
*Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Provincial Hospital, affiliated to Shandong University, People's Republic of China.
Fan
Z
Z
Han
Y
Y
Yu
G
G
Wang
H
H
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone / Q000379:methods; D002150:Caloric Tests / Q000379:methods; D002648:Child; D004576:Electromyography / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014717:Vertigo / Q000209:etiology; D014724:Vestibular Function Tests / Q000379:methods; D020338:Vestibular Neuronitis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*