Hi. I've been reading up a bit but still confused...is it possible to get VN or labyrinthitis-like symptoms from damage to the inner ear from causes other than viral infection? I mean, if they could ascertain damage from other causes, would they still call it VN or LABS? Also, when they talk about hearing being affected, does this just mean hearing loss, or can it include tinnitis/hyperacusis as well?
Science just boggles the mind, in my case anyway...I'm SO CONFUSED!...Plain English might help.

Thanks.

OK. Yes damage to the inner ear can occur from other things - accidents (head injury) which they call labyrinth concussion. Certain drugs - they call otoxicity. So in effect they will prob not call it "labyrinthitis" if they are sure of the source but really - it is labyrinthitis - basically damage/inflammation to the inner ear. If they do not know the cause then they will prob brand it "labyrinthitis" yes.

As for hearing loss...often tinnitus is associated with hearing loss but it can also appear alone. Hearing being affected they mean hearing loss. There is no test for tinnitus apart from the patient's description of symptoms.

Hope this helps. xxx

Thanks for the clarification. I was just wondering about the continual 24/7 dizziness, if it can come from VN, or is VN more of an episodic thing? Whether it was caused from viral infection or damage, the result is still the same,right?
And if and ENG/caloric came back "normal", would that rule out VN?
Thanks for your forbearance...I haven't been at this too long...
Elisabeth

Not a problem, unfortunately ive had this a while so know a fair amount!

OK. Continual dizziness can certainly be VN or labs - episodic is not - episodic is generally BPPV, Menieres, MAV. Labs/VN are always continual esp at the start.

Is the result the same whether viral etc etc? - kind of though often inner ear concussion can be worse...all cases are different - v individual....so the result varies from one person to another whatever the cause...

ENG's are unfortunately quite unreliable so no a normal one DOES NOT rule out vn/lab. Many ENG's only pick up major problems. What is really needed - is a variety of tests including the Rotary Chair and an assessment by a dizziness specialist - a "neurotologist". Do not be disheartened by a negative ENG. They are also not performed properly by many hospitals and only test some of the ear canals, not all.

xxx

Hi Aslyme,

Exactly, once damage has occured then the cause is irrelevant - the process of recovery is the same (ie compensation)...

The "classic" pattern of VN is an intense attack of vertigo (when the damage occurs) followed by gradual improvement over days, months, and sometimes years. However, a lot of people don't come under the classic category so it may slowly come on (possibly as the nerve becomes inflammed) over a number of days. Once the initial cause has left (usually within a few days) then the person is left with an "uncompensated vestibular deficit", in the long term the brain slowly adjusts to the deficit (compensation) during that period some people report constant balance problems, others report visual problems, others report motion/visually provoked symptoms but the majority report a combination of all these to some extent. But to answer your question, with VN you would expect constant symptoms (though they do often wax and wane), which resolve overtime,

As for caloric/engs, they do not rule VN. In the classic scenario VN would produced obvious unilateral caloric weakness, however, as

A) calorics only test at certain frequencies (ie we don't know if the dysfunction would become apparent at others)
B) Testing is very inaccurate, yet minor dysfunction could cause severe symtpoms
C) The readings only compare on side with the other, there may have already been a natural weakness in one side
D) They only test part of system (2 of the three canals - so the other one can be where the bad signals come from)

Then normal calorics/engs don't tell us much.

CL beat me to it....;-)

Hi Aslyme,

The "classic" pattern of VN is an intense attack of vertigo (when the damage occurs) followed by gradual improvement over days, months, and sometimes years. However, a lot of people don't come under the classic category so it may slowly come on (possibly as the nerve becomes inflammed) over a number of days. Once the initial cause has left (usually within a few days) then the person is left with an "uncompensated vestibular deficit", in the long term the brain slowly adjusts to the deficit (compensation) during that period some people report constant balance problems, others report visual problems, others report motion/visually provoked symptoms but the majority report a combination of all these to some extent. But to answer your question, with VN you would expect constant symptoms (though they do often wax and wane), which resolve overtime,

As for caloric/engs, they do not rule VN. In the classic scenario VN would produced obvious unilateral caloric weakness, however, as

A) calorics only test at certain frequencies (ie we don't know if the dysfunction would become apparent at others)
B) Testing is very inaccurate, yet minor dysfunction could cause severe symtpoms
C) The readings only compare on side with the other, there may have already been a natural weakness in one side
D) They only test part of system (2 of the three canals - so the other one can be where the bad signals come from)

Then normal calorics/engs don't tell us much.

Very good description of this BennyGibb! Unfortunatelty, the Neurotologist I saw dismissed my repeated "attacks" as recurrent VN. He did say that he has seen other patients with multiple episodes like me. Everything I'm reading on the net says that repeated episodes of VN are very, very rare. Hmmm...so it makes me wonder. The "attacks" I've had in the past generally came on over a day or so and the spinning vertigo was no more than two days. After that passed I had imbalance and disequilibrium for no more than 5-7 days after which I felt normal. I had a minor episode on 11/26 and I'm still feeling the effects now but I think it's BPPV. My GP did the Hallpike test and I got vertigo. I have an appt. next week with a local ENT and I'm going to ask him to to the Epley maneuver. Anyway, this is all so very strange.

Hi everyone:
Thanks for your input. Trying to be a self-diagnostician is not really my thing but I've got nothing from DR so I'm just trying to figure this out. Maybe he can't diagnose me because he keeps asking me bonehead questions like, "When you're dizzy, does the room seem to spin, or do you seem to spin?" With me it is more of a feeling of being in an elevator so I never could give him an answer and thank God I never felt a really intense throw-you-on the-bed sensation of spinning. Mine has been fairly mild from the get-go so wondering if this fits the pattern for VN. I was thinking MAV as well but dizziness is constant...anyway hope you are all doing well and Compensating right along!

Elisabeth