Clinical use of subjective visual horizontal and vertical in patients of unilateral vestibular neuritis.

OBJECTIVES: Subjective visual horizontal (SVH) and subjective visual vertical (SVV) used to assess otolith dysfunction and ipsilesional deviation of SVV and SVH in unilateral vestibular dysfunction is well known. The goal of this study was to investigate the clinical use of SVH/SVV and a dizziness scale in the clinical setting of acute unilateral vestibular neuritis.

METHODS: Thirty-five patients with unilateral vestibular neuritis were investigated. Every patient was diagnosed by physical examination and electronystagmography. Subjective visual horizontal and SVV were assessed during the acute or subacute period; the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) and Vestibular Disorder Activities of Daily Living Scale (VADL) were used for a self-dizziness scale at the same time. All patients underwent rehabilitation therapy. Subjective visual horizontal/SVV and DHI/VADL were assessed again approximately 4 weeks later. Postrehabilitation SVH/SVV and DHI/VADL data were compared with initial data.

RESULTS: Dizziness Handicap Inventory and VADL were improved after 4 weeks of rehabilitation, and the deviation toward ipsilesional side SVH and SVV was also improved.

CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that SVH and SVV correlated with clinical dizziness symptoms in patients with acute unilateral vestibular neuritis. Therefore, SVH and SVV would be useful tools for the evaluation of clinical manifestations of unilateral vestibular neuritis.