title: Vestibular compensation after vestibular schwannoma surgery: normalization of the subjective visual vertical and disability.
abstract: CONCLUSIONS
  The degree of caloric weakness before surgery influences faster or slower recovery of patients undergoing vestibular schwannoma surgery. The Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) is a good index to show the recovery of patients as it relates directly to an improvement or not of the subjective visual vertical (SVV).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the process of recovery of patients as measured by the SVV and the DHI after surgical removal of vestibular schwannoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 24 consecutive patients of the University Hospital of Salamanca who underwent vestibular schwannoma surgery. We assessed age, tumour size, degree of canalicular weakness and preoperative SVV, and their relationship with DHI and SVV at discharge and also at 1, 3 and 6 months postoperatively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with lesser degrees of caloric weakness took longer to normalize SVV than those with a higher caloric weakness before surgery (p < 0.05). There was a significant correlation between DHI and improvements in SVV with time. The differences disappeared in 6 months where all patients, with greater or lesser degree of caloric weakness, had the same results.
authors: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Unidad de Base de Cráneo, Hospital Universitario de Salamanca, University of Salamanca, Paso S. Vicente 58-182, Salamanca, Spain. abatuc@yahoo.es
authors: Angel
authors: A
authors: Batuecas-Caletrio
authors: Santiago
authors: S
authors: Santacruz-Ruiz
authors: Angel
authors: A
authors: Muñoz-Herrera
authors: Pablo
authors: P
authors: Sousa
authors: Alvaro
authors: A
authors: Otero
authors: Nicolas
authors: N
authors: Perez-Fernandez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D004244:Dizziness / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009464:Neuroma, Acoustic / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014724:Vestibular Function Tests; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*