Vestibular and limb peripheral nerve impairment in auditory neuropathy / 中国耳鼻咽喉头颈外科

ABSTRACT

Objective: To investigate the impairment status of vestibular and limb peripheral nerve of patients with auditory neuropathy, improve the understanding of auditory neuropathy in general. Method: Vestibular function tests and nerve conduction velocity (NCV) examinatoin were performed on 28 young patients with auditory neuropathy which confirmed by clinical auditory tests diagnosis from March 1999 to November 2000. There were 14 males and 14 females, ranging in age from 22 to 28 years old. Results: Vestibular dysfunction was encountered in 22 of 28 (78.57%) suffering from auditory neuropathy. Limb peripheral nerve impairment was found in 11 of 28 patients (39.29%) of auditory neuropathy. The caloric responses were normal symmetric responses in 6 of 28 (21.43%,6/28), and weaken bilaterally in 20 of 28 (71.43%,20/28)respectively. On the NCV examination, both motor conduction velocity (MVC) and sensory conduction velocity (SCV) were normal in 17 (60.71%,17/28), abnormal in 4 (14.29%,4/28). Four cases showed abnormal MCV and SCV. And pure MCV abnormality and pure SCV abnormality were found on 4 and 3 cases respectively. Conclusion: The pathological process affecting the auditory nerve may also affect the vestibular nerve and other peripheral nerve. This seemed possible in view of fact that auditory neuropathy may affect one nerve (mononeuropathy) or multiple nerves (polyneuropathy).