[Vestibular Dysfunction in Patients with Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss without Vertigo]

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Neurology
• Vestibular System Research

Background:

• Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL) is a complex condition affecting hearing.
• Vestibular dysfunction is often associated with SSHL, but its presence in patients without vertigo is less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prevalence and extent of vestibular dysfunction in patients diagnosed with unilateral SSHL but presenting without vertigo.
• To compare vestibular function test results between SSHL patients without vertigo, SSHL patients with vertigo, and healthy controls.

Main Methods:

• Utilized air-conducted sound-elicited ocular and cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (oVEMP and cVEMP) in 42 SSHL patients without vertigo.
• Administered caloric tests to a subset of patients and compared results with 62 SSHL patients with vertigo and 25 healthy controls.

Main Results:

• Abnormalities in oVEMP (54.8%) and cVEMP (52.4%) were significantly higher in SSHL patients without vertigo compared to normal controls (P<0.01).
• Caloric test abnormalities were observed in 52.4% of SSHL patients without vertigo.
• No significant statistical difference was found in the rates of abnormal oVEMP, cVEMP, or caloric tests between SSHL patients with and without vertigo (P>0.05).

Conclusions:

• Vestibular function can be impaired in patients with SSHL, even in the absence of vertigo.
• The degree of vestibular dysfunction, as assessed by oVEMP, cVEMP, and caloric tests, appears similar in SSHL patients regardless of the presence or absence of vertigo.
• Vertigo may not be a reliable indicator of the range or severity of vestibular dysfunction in SSHL.