J Audiol Otol.  2019 Jan;23(1):33-38. 10.7874/jao.2018.00206.

Recovery Phase Spontaneous Nystagmus, Its Existence and Clinical Implication

• Lee MY
• Son HR
• Rah YC
• Jung JY
• Suh MW

• KMID: 2438180
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.7874/jao.2018.00206

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Determination of the lesion side based on the direction of the nystagmus could result in confusions to the clinicians due to mismatch between the vestibular function tests and also between vestibular and audiologic features. To minimize these mistakes, we elucidated the clinical manifestation and vestibular function test results in cases with recovery spontaneous nystagmus (rSN).
SUBJECTS AND METHODS
Patients who visited ENT clinic of tertiary referral hospital for acute onset continuous vertigo from January 2008 to December 2011 were enrolled. In these patients, we assessed onset time of vertigo, time point of paralytic spontaneous nystagmus (SN) and time point of rSN. At each time point of SN, vestibular function tests and hearing function tests were performed.
RESULTS
We confirmed the rSN among patients with unilateral vestibulopathy and demonstrated that high gain of the rotatory chair test (slow harmonic acceleration) and/or mismatch of the SN direction and contralateral caloric weakness could indicate the recovery state of patients and nystagmus observed in this stage is recovery phase nystagmus.
CONCLUSIONS
In acute vestibulopathy patients, recovery phase nystagmus was observed and on this stage of disease vestibular function tests shows several features that could predict recovery state.

Keyword

Spontaneous nystagmus; Recovery spontaneous nystagmus; Unilateral vestibulopathy

MeSH Terms

Hearing
Humans
Tertiary Care Centers
Vertigo
Vestibular Function Tests