Articles

Filter By

Pediatric Vestibular Disorders

Vestibular disorders affect children When the vestibular system in children is disrupted it results in symptoms of vertigo or dizziness, oscillopsia or gaze instability, and delayed development or diminished balance and other motor abilities. Children

More

Ototoxicity

What is Ototoxicity? Ototoxicity: Oto = ear; toxicity = poisoning Ototoxicity is, quite simply, ear poisoning (oto = ear, toxicity = poisoning), which results from exposure to drugs or chemicals that damage the inner ear

More

Cervicogenic Dizziness

Neck pain and dizziness Many people experience neck pain and dizziness. It may be difficult to tell whether the dizziness and the neck pain are related or just coincidental. Neck position has been known to

More

Mal de Débarquement

Mal de Debarquement Syndrome (MdDS) is an illusion of movement felt as an aftereffect of travel or other novel movements, such as sleeping on a waterbed, which continues even after the source of the motion is no longer present, and sometimes become chronic.

More

Cholesteatoma

What is a cholesteatoma? A cholesteatoma is a skin growth that occurs in an abnormal location, the middle ear behind the eardrum. It is usually caused by repeated infection that causes an ingrowth of the

More

Otosclerosis

What is Otosclerosis? Otosclerosis is defined by abnormal and unregulated growth of bone within the bony structures that make up the middle ear.1 Any bone within the middle ear can be affected, however, the footplate

More

Perilymph Fistula

A perilymph fistula (PLF) refers to a hole or tear in one of the membranes that separate your middle ear and inner ear. Your middle ear is filled with air, while your inner ear is filled with

More

Autoimmune Inner Ear Disease

What is Autoimmune Inner Ear Disease? Autoimmune disease occurs when the body’s natural defense system has difficulty telling the difference between its own cells and foreign cells, causing the body to mistakenly attack normal cells.

More

Vestibular Hyperacusis

Hyperacusis is the perception of unusual auditory sensitivity to some environmental noises or tones. The effects of hyperacusis can range from a mild sense of unease to a complete loss of balance or upright posture with severe ear pain. Cochlear hyperacusis can be treated with acoustic therapies such as tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT). Vestibular hyperacusis, however, continues to go untreated or unrecognized in many cases.

More

Enlarged Vestibular Aqueduct (EVA)

The vestibular aqueduct is a tiny, bony canal that extends from the inner ear’s endolymphatic space toward the brain. It is shielded by one of the densest bones in the body, the temporal bone, which

More

Ménière’s Disease

In 1861 the French physician Prosper Ménière theorized that attacks of vertigo, ringing in the ear (tinnitus) and hearing loss came from the inner ear rather than from the brain, as was generally believed at the time. Once this idea was accepted, the name of Dr. Prosper Ménière began its long association with this inner ear disease and with inner ear balance disorders in general.

Sponsored by Otonomy

More

Secondary Endolymphatic Hydrops (SEH)

Endolymphatic hydrops is a disorder of the inner ear and can affect the endolymphatic fluid of the cochlea, the vestibular apparatus, or both. Although its underlying cause and natural history are unknown, it is believed to result from abnormalities in the quantity, composition, and/or pressure of the endolymph (the fluid within the endolymphatic sac, a compartment of the inner ear).

In a normal inner ear, the endolymph is main­tained at a constant volume and with specific concentrations of sodium, potassium, chloride, and other electrolytes. This fluid bathes the sensory cells of the inner ear and allows them to function normally. In an inner ear affected by hydrops, these fluid-system controls are believed to be lost or damaged. This may cause the volume and concentration of the endolymph to fluctuate in response to changes in the body’s circulatory fluids and electrolytes.

More