Imaging features of bilateral vestibular neuritis

Duško Kozić; Slobodanka Lemajić-Komazec; Mladen Bjelan; Jasmina Boban; Slavica Sotirović-Seničar; Dejan Kostić

doi:10.2298/VSP170424089K

Duško Kozić University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Medicine, Novi Sad & Oncology Institute of Vojvodina, Diagnostic Imaging Centre, Sremska Kamenica, Novi Sad, Serbia
Slobodanka Lemajić-Komazec University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Medicine, Novi Sad & Clinical Center of Vojvodina, Clinic of otorhinolaryngology, Novi Sad, Serbia
Mladen Bjelan University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Medicine, Novi Sad & Oncology Institute of Vojvodina, Diagnostic Imaging Centre, Sremska Kamenica, Novi Sad, Serbia
Jasmina Boban University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Medicine, Novi Sad & Oncology Institute of Vojvodina, Diagnostic Imaging Centre, Sremska Kamenica, Novi Sad, Serbia
Slavica Sotirović-Seničar Clinical Center of Vojvodina, Center of Radiology, Novi Sad, Serbia
Dejan Kostić Military Medical Academy, Institute of Radiology, Belgrade & University of Defence, Faculty of Medicine of the Military Medical Academy, Belgrade, Serbia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2298/VSP170424089K

Keywords: vestibulocochlear nerve diseases, neuritis, bilateral vestibulopathy, diagnosis, magnetic resonance imaging

Abstract

Abstract

Introduction. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was found to be insensitive diagnostic modality in detecting the abnormalities in patients with vestibular neuritis. Case report. A 32-year-old man was admitted to hospital with clinical signs of acute vestibular neuritis. The conventional MRI was inconclusive, including 3 mm slice-thickness postcontrast study, while the postcontrast high resolution study with 1 mm slice-thikness, detected bilateral enhancement of the vestibulocochlear nerve’s vestibular branch, consistent with inflammation. Conclusion. High-resolution 1 mm or submilimeter slices should be perfomed to evaluate patients with vestibular neuritis in order to increase the MRI sensitivity and improve correlation with clinical findings.

References

REFERENCES

Silvoniemi P. Vestibular neuronitis. An otoneurological evalua-tion. Acta Otolaryngol Suppl 1988; 453: 1–72.

Murofushi T, Monobe H, Ochiai A, Ozeki H. The site of lesion in “vestibular neuritis”: Study by galvanic VEMP. Neurology 2003; 61(3): 417–8.

Strupp M, Jäger L, Müller-Lisse U, Arbusow V, Reiser M, Brandt T. High resolution Gd-DTPA MR imaging of the inner ear in 60 patients with idiopathicvestibular neuritis: no evidence for contrast enhancement of the labyrinth orvestibular nerve. J Vestib Res 1998; 8(6): 427–33.

Hasuike K, Sekitani T, Imate Y. Enhanced MRI in patients with vestibular neuronitis. Acta Otolaryngol Suppl (Stockh) 1995; 519: 272–4.

Karlberg M, Annertz M, Magnusson M. Acute vestibular neuritis visualized by 3-T magnetic resonance imaging with high-dose gadolinium. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2004; 130(2): 229–32.

Fundakowski CE, Anderson J, Angeli S. Cross-sectional ves-tibular nerve analysis in vestibular neuritis. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 2012; 121(7): 466–70.

Taylor RL, McGarvie LA, Reid N, Young AS, Halmagyi MG, Welgampola MS. Vestibular neuritis affects both superior and inferior vestibular nerves. Neurology 2016; 87(16): 1704–12.

McCabe BF. Autoimmune sensorineural hearing loss. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 1979; 88(5 Pt 1): 585–9

Harris JP, Ryan AF. Fundamental immune mechanisms of the brain and inner ear. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1995; 112(6): 639–53.

Arbusow V, Strupp M, Dieterich M, Stöcker W, Naumann A, Schulz P, et al. Serum antibodies against membranous labyrinth in patients with “idiopathic”bilateral vestibulopathy. J Neurol 1998; 245(3): 132–6.

Schüler O, Strupp M, Arbusow V, Brandt T, Soragna D, Papi L, et al. A case of possible autoimmune bilateral vestibulopathy treated with steroids. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatr 2003; 74(6): 825.