Postural stability in vestibular neuritis: age, disease duration, and residual vestibular function.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the influence of factors that can affect postural instability in vestibular neuritis (VN).


METHODS
Retrospective data collection study.


METHODS
Foam posturography was performed in 58 VN patients. We examined six variables: the velocity of movement of the center of pressure and the envelopment area in eyes closed/foam rubber condition, Romberg's ratios of velocity and area with foam rubber, and the foam ratios of velocity and area with eyes closed. Multiple regression analyses were performed to explore the relationship between these variables and the following independent variables: gender, age, canal paresis (CP) percentage, and disease duration.


RESULTS
All six variables were positively associated with age, CP percentage, and a disease duration of 10 days or less (P < .05) except for Romberg's ratio of velocity with foam rubber, which was positively associated with CP percentage and a disease duration of 10 days or less (P < .05), but not with age (P > .05).


CONCLUSIONS
VN patients show poor postural performance, which is affected by age, residual vestibular function, and disease duration. Once a VN patient passes the acute phase of the vertigo attack, it is likely that age and residual vestibular function make a greater contribution to postural control.


METHODS
3b.
Department of Otolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Chisato
C
Fujimoto
Naoya
N
Egami
Makoto
M
Kinoshita
Keiko
K
Sugasawa
Tatsuya
T
Yamasoba
Shinichi
S
Iwasaki
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D002150:Caloric Tests; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D014724:Vestibular Function Tests; D020338:Vestibular Neuronitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014722:Vestibule, Labyrinth / Q000503:physiopathology*
Aging; caloric tests; postural balance; vestibular neuritis