PATHOLOGY - Vestibular Disease Flashcards
What is vestibular disease?
Vestibular disease is the sudden, non-progressive disturbance of balance
In peripheral vestibular disease, which components of the vestibular system are damaged?
Membranous labyrinth
Vestibular branch of CNVIII
In central vestibular disease, which components of the vestibular system are damaged?
Efferent fibres projecting from the vestibular nuclei to the brainstem, cerebellum and spinal cord
What are the four clinical signs of vestibular disease?
Head tilt
Nystagmus
Strabismus
Ataxia
What causes the head tilt commonly associated with vestibular disease?
Head tilt is caused by the loss of antigravity muscle tone on one side of the neck
In unilateral vestibular disease, which direction is the head tilt?
In unilateral vestibular disease, the head tilt is ipsilateral to the lesion
Why is there no head tilt seen in bilateral vestibular disease?
In bilateral vestibular disease, there is no head tilt as the antigravity muscle tone is lost on both sides of the neck
Which form of vestibular disease causes a contralateral head tilt?
Paradoxical vestibular disease
Lesions to which two regions of the cerebellum can cause paradoxical vestibular disease?
Caudal cerebellar peduncle
Folliculonodular lobe
What is nystagmus?
Nystagmus is a series of slow and fast phases of rhythmic eye movements
What is physiological nystagmus?
The normal vestibulo-ocular reflex
What are the two classifications of pathological nystagmus?
Spontaneous nystagmus
Positional nystagmus
What is spontaneous nystagmus?
Pathological nystagmus which occurs when the head is in a normal stationary position
What is positional nystagmus?
Pathological nystagmus which is seen with a change is head position
How is the direction of nystagmus defined?
The direction of nystagmus is defined by the direction of the fast phase
