Biomaterial Database

New tests of vestibular function. 1994

G M Halmagyi, and J G Colebatch, and I S Curthoys

Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Three new, simple, clinically applicable tests of vestibular function are described. The first is a test of the response of the lateral semicircular canals to high accelerations. The test can even be done at the bedside where it can reveal severe unilateral or bilateral loss of lateral canal function. The test can also be recorded in a laboratory where it might show a less severe deficit of lateral canal function. The second is a simple, laboratory test of utricular function which depends on a subject's ability to align a bar with the subjective visual vertical. Patients with acute unilateral peripheral vestibular lesions invariably set the bar toward the side of the lesion. The third is a laboratory test of saccular function relying on a click-evoked inhibitory vestibulo-collic reflex recorded in the ipsilateral sternomastoid muscle. It can be done with equipment used for auditory evoked potentials.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007839	Functional Laterality	Behavioral manifestations of cerebral dominance in which there is preferential use and superior functioning of either the left or the right side, as in the preferred use of the right hand or right foot.	Ambidexterity,Behavioral Laterality,Handedness,Laterality of Motor Control,Mirror Writing,Laterality, Behavioral,Laterality, Functional,Mirror Writings,Motor Control Laterality,Writing, Mirror,Writings, Mirror
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D012444	Saccule and Utricle	Two membranous sacs within the vestibular labyrinth of the INNER EAR. The saccule communicates with COCHLEAR DUCT through the ductus reuniens, and communicates with utricle through the utriculosaccular duct from which the ENDOLYMPHATIC DUCT arises. The utricle and saccule have sensory areas (acoustic maculae) which are innervated by the VESTIBULAR NERVE.	Otolithic Organs,Utricle,Saccule,Organ, Otolithic,Otolithic Organ,Saccules,Utricle and Saccule,Utricles
D012665	Semicircular Canals	Three long canals (anterior, posterior, and lateral) of the bony labyrinth. They are set at right angles to each other and are situated posterosuperior to the vestibule of the bony labyrinth (VESTIBULAR LABYRINTH). The semicircular canals have five openings into the vestibule with one shared by the anterior and the posterior canals. Within the canals are the SEMICIRCULAR DUCTS.	Semi-Circular Canals,Canal, Semi-Circular,Canal, Semicircular,Semi Circular Canals,Semi-Circular Canal,Semicircular Canal
D014102	Torsion Abnormality	An abnormal twisting or rotation of a bodily part or member on its axis.	Abnormality, Torsion,Abnormalities, Torsion,Torsion Abnormalities
D014724	Vestibular Function Tests	A number of tests used to determine if the brain or balance portion of the inner ear are causing dizziness.	Function Test, Vestibular,Function Tests, Vestibular,Test, Vestibular Function,Tests, Vestibular Function,Vestibular Function Test
D015835	Ocular Motility Disorders	Disorders that feature impairment of eye movements as a primary manifestation of disease. These conditions may be divided into infranuclear, nuclear, and supranuclear disorders. Diseases of the eye muscles or oculomotor cranial nerves (III, IV, and VI) are considered infranuclear. Nuclear disorders are caused by disease of the oculomotor, trochlear, or abducens nuclei in the BRAIN STEM. Supranuclear disorders are produced by dysfunction of higher order sensory and motor systems that control eye movements, including neural networks in the CEREBRAL CORTEX; BASAL GANGLIA; CEREBELLUM; and BRAIN STEM. Ocular torticollis refers to a head tilt that is caused by an ocular misalignment. Opsoclonus refers to rapid, conjugate oscillations of the eyes in multiple directions, which may occur as a parainfectious or paraneoplastic condition (e.g., OPSOCLONUS-MYOCLONUS SYNDROME). (Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, p240)	Brown Syndrome,Brown Tendon Sheath Syndrome,Brown's Syndrome,Convergence Insufficiency,Eye Movement Disorders,Internuclear Ophthalmoplegia,Ocular Torticollis,Opsoclonus,Parinaud Syndrome,Skew Deviation,Smooth Pursuit Deficiency,Brown's Tendon Sheath Syndrome,Convergence Excess,Cyclophoria,Deficiency, Smooth Pursuit,Eye Motility Disorders,Parinaud's Syndrome,Paroxysmal Ocular Dyskinesia,Pseudoophthalmoplegia,Spasm of Conjugate Gaze,Syndrome, Brown's Tendon Sheath,Tendon Sheath Syndrome of Brown,Browns Syndrome,Conjugate Gaze Spasm,Conjugate Gaze Spasms,Convergence Excesses,Convergence Insufficiencies,Cyclophorias,Deficiencies, Smooth Pursuit,Deviation, Skew,Deviations, Skew,Dyskinesia, Paroxysmal Ocular,Dyskinesias, Paroxysmal Ocular,Excess, Convergence,Eye Motility Disorder,Eye Movement Disorder,Gaze Spasms, Conjugate,Insufficiencies, Convergence,Insufficiency, Convergence,Internuclear Ophthalmoplegias,Ocular Dyskinesia, Paroxysmal,Ocular Dyskinesias, Paroxysmal,Ocular Motility Disorder,Ophthalmoplegia, Internuclear,Ophthalmoplegias, Internuclear,Parinauds Syndrome,Paroxysmal Ocular Dyskinesias,Pseudoophthalmoplegias,Pursuit Deficiencies, Smooth,Pursuit Deficiency, Smooth,Skew Deviations,Smooth Pursuit Deficiencies,Syndrome, Brown,Syndrome, Brown's,Syndrome, Parinaud,Syndrome, Parinaud's
D015837	Vestibular Diseases	Pathological processes of the VESTIBULAR LABYRINTH which contains part of the balancing apparatus. Patients with vestibular diseases show instability and are at risk of frequent falls.	Disease, Vestibular,Diseases, Vestibular,Vestibular Disease