Psychiatry Investig.  2014 Oct;11(4):499-501. 10.4306/pi.2014.11.4.499.

A Case of Intractable Suspected Perilymph Fistula with Severe Depression

• Goto F
• Oishi N
• Tsutsumi T
• Ogawa K

• KMID: 2316381
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4306/pi.2014.11.4.499

Abstract

A 68-year-old woman presented dizziness whenever she put her finger into the right ear and also complained of water-streaming tinnitus, which indicated she would have been suffering from perilymph fistula. An exploratory tympanotomy was conducted. Leakage of perilymph from the round window was suspected, although the cochlin-tomoprotein (CTP) results were negative. After the procedure, the patient's finger-induced dizziness, tinnitus, and vertigo spells disappeared completely. However, her dizzy symptom did not improve. The patient also complained of general fatigue, weight loss, and insomnia, which led us to suspect comorbid depression. Antidepressants and vestibular rehabilitation treatment resulted in a significant improvement in her dizziness. Although it is not apparent whether the patient had a perilymph fistula, this case demonstrates the importance of evaluating not only physical symptoms but also psychological comorbidity, especially when the physical symptoms are intractable despite treatment.

Keyword

Depression; Perilymph fistula; Vestibular rehabilitation

MeSH Terms

Aged
Antidepressive Agents
Comorbidity
Depression*
Dizziness
Ear
Fatigue
Female
Fingers
Fistula*
Humans
Perilymph*
Rehabilitation
Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders
Tinnitus
Vertigo
Weight Loss
Antidepressive Agents