Vestibular Neuritis

Vestibular Neuritis

There are various disorders that will cause a patient to experience vertigo. The top three most common causes of peripheral vertigoare Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), Meniere’s disease, and Vestibular neuritis. There are additional causes of vertigo such as cerebrovascular disease, migraines, psychological disease, perilymphatic fistulas, multiple sclerosis, and intracranial neoplasms (Labuguen, 2006).

Vertigo is a type of dizziness where the patient feels like the world is spinning around them while they are standing motionless. According to Hanley it is defined as an “illusion” or “hallucination” of movement, usually rotational, of yourself or your environment (Hanley, 2002). The cause of vertigo is initially classified into two separate categories based upon where it originates. It can originate from the peripheral nervous system or the central nervous system. Distinguishing characteristics separating them include the type of nystagmus, imbalance, nausea, hearing loss, duration, and non auditory neurologic symptoms. The imbalance in central disorders are typically very severe, in which the patient is unable to stand still or walk. The nystagmus is entirely vertical, horizontal, or torsional and can last for months. It is also not uncommon for other nonauditory neurologic symptoms to develop. Nausea and vomiting are often common in peripheral vertigo disorders, as well as hearing loss. The Nystagmus is usually a combination of horizontal and torsional which will diminish or vanish during gaze (Labuguen, 2006).Once the type of vertigo has been determined, being aware of the severity of the vertigo should then be considered. In Meniere’s disease, the severity of vertigo attacks incr...

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