This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Vestibular neuronitis

Authoring team

This is acute inflammation of the vestibular nerve (1).

  • the cause of the disease is unknown but is thought to be precipitated by sinusitis, influenza, and upper respiratory tract viral illnesses in the young (2) or vascular disease in the elderly
  • commonly seen in previously well young or middle aged adults (usually between 20 and 40 years old) (2).

It is characterised by

  • incapacitating sustained (non-positional) vertigo in a previously healthy young or middle aged adult (3).
    • vertigo may be abrupt (in 73%) or increase over a few hours (27%) (3)
    • commonly occurs on first awakening (2)
  • the patient may feel very unwell and they often lie still in bed
  • unidirectional, predominantly horizontal nystagmus (3) and an unsteady gait (2)
  • nausea and vomiting are common (3)
  • absent tinnitus or deafness (3)
  • no other neurological symptoms or signs (3).

After 2-5 days of the acute attack, a steady resolution usually occurs over a period of 6 to 12 weeks.

There is is limited evidence to support the use of corticosteroids for the treatment of vestibular neuronitis in the emergency department (5)

This condition is also known as acute vestibular failure.

Although the terms vestibular neuronitis and labyrinthitis has been used interchangeably in the past, it is now considered as two separate conditions (4).

Reference:


Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.