BACKGROUND: Postural balance impairment can affect the quality of life of patients with Parkinson\'s disease. Previous studies have described connections of the vestibular system with postural functions, suggesting a potential participation of the basal ganglia in receiving vestibular stimuli. This systematic review aims to summarize the evidence on the effectiveness of vestibular rehabilitation on postural balance in patients with Parkinson\'s disease.
METHODS: A systematic review was conducted using the electronic databases: PubMed, Embase, Scopus and PEDro. The study selection was independently conducted by two reviewers, and disagreements were evaluated by a third reviewer. The included studies had no restrictions on publication dates or languages and the last update occurred in July 2023.
RESULTS: From the 485 studies found in the searches, only 3 studies were deemed eligible for the systematic review involving a total of 130 participants. The Berg Balance Scale was described as the tool for evaluation of postural balance in all studies. The meta-analysis showed statistically significant results in favor of vestibular rehabilitation (MD = 5.35; 95% CI = 2.39, 8.31; P < 0.001), regardless of the stage of Parkinson\'s disease. Although the effect size was suggested as a useful functional gain, the analysis was done with caution, as it only included 3 randomized controlled trials. The risk of bias using the RoB-2 was considered as being of \"some concern\" in all studies. Furthermore, the quality of the evidence based on the Grading of Recommendations Assessment Development and Evaluation system, produced by pooling the included studies was considered very low.
CONCLUSIONS: Compared to other interventions, vestibular rehabilitation has potential to assist the postural balance of patients with Parkinson\'s disease. However, the very low quality of the evidence demonstrates uncertainty about the impact of this clinical practice. More robust studies are needed to confirm the benefits of this therapy in patients with Parkinson\'s disease. This study was prospectively registered in PROSPERO: CRD42020210185.

UNASSIGNED: In a region of approximately 1.7 million people (Tidewater, coastal Virginia), identify secondary diagnoses in persons with dizziness.
UNASSIGNED: This cross-sectional study utilizing TriNetX included individuals in the region of interest diagnosed with dizziness between 2010 and 2020. Subsequent diagnoses of vestibular disease or medical conditions possibly associated with dizziness in the same subjects were catalogued.
UNASSIGNED: During the study period, 31,670 subjects were identified with diagnoses of dizziness as a symptom; 18,390 subjects were subsequently given a dizziness-related nonvestibular diagnosis, and 930 were given a subsequent vestibular disease diagnosis. The proportion of subjects diagnosed with vestibular disease (3%) after the dizziness diagnosis is far below expected norms (25%-34%) in the general population. There were greater proportions of delayed diagnoses of labyrinth dysfunction (odds ratio [OR], 4.8; P < 0.0001), superior semicircular canal dehiscence (OR, 3.1; P = 0.0023), otolith disease (OR, 3.1; P = 0.0023), among others, and a decreased proportion of delayed diagnosis of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (OR, 0.56; P < 0.0001).
UNASSIGNED: The discrepancy between expected and observed prevalence in our region indicates that vestibular disease is likely underdiagnosed.

An 11 years old male Labrador cross presented with unilateral vestibular signs, ipsilateral facial paresis, moderate obtundation, ptyalism, and paraparesis. MRI of the brain revealed diffuse, multifocal T2/FLAIR hyperintense changes throughout various regions of the brain including the medulla, midbrain, pons, thalamus and right cerebral hemisphere with mild multifocal contrast enhancement. The patient progressed to trismus with generalized increased extensor tone and risus sardonicus. A diagnosis of generalized tetanus was made and the patient was started on antibiotics, skeletal muscle relaxants and tetanus antitoxin and made a full recovery. To the best of the authors\' knowledge, this is the first reported case of canine tetanus in which the presenting signs involved cranial nerve dysfunction as well as the first report describing MRI changes in canine tetanus within the central nervous system.

The etiology of Ménière\'s disease (MD) remains controversial. Allergies are potential extrinsic factors that, in conjunction with underlying intrinsic factors, may cause MD. The link between allergies and MD was first described in 1923. For nearly a century, studies have demonstrated a possible link between allergies and MD, even though a causal relationship has not been definitively determined. Previous reviews have mainly focused on clinical epidemiology studies of patients. In this review, we shed light on the association between allergies and MD not only in terms of its epidemiology, but also from an immunology, pathophysiology, and immunotherapy perspective in both patients and animal models. Patients with MD tend to have a high risk of comorbid allergies or an allergy history, showing positive allergy immunology characteristics. Other MD-related diseases, such as migraine, may also interact with allergies. Allergy mediators such as IgE may worsen the symptoms of MD. Deposits of IgE in the vestibular end organs indicate the ability of the inner ear to participate in immune reactions. Allergic challenges can induce vertigo in animals and humans. Anti-allergy therapy plays a positive role in patients with MD and animal models of endolymphatic hydrops.

BACKGROUND: Children and adolescents with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) often experience motor skill disturbances, particularly in balance and gait, due to potential vestibular dysfunctions resulting from inner ear damage. Consequently, several studies have proposed the use of virtual reality-based games as a technological resource for therapeutic purposes, aiming to improve the balance and gait of this population.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this systematic review is to evaluate the quality of evidence derived from randomized or quasi-randomized controlled trials that employed virtual reality-based games to enhance the balance and/or gait of children and adolescents with SNHL.
METHODS: A comprehensive search was conducted across nine databases, encompassing articles published in any language until 1 July 2023. The following inclusion criteria were applied: randomized or quasi-randomized controlled trials involving volunteers from both groups with a clinical diagnosis of bilateral SNHL, aged 6-19 years, devoid of physical, cognitive, or neurological deficits other than vestibular dysfunction, and utilizing virtual reality-based games as an intervention to improve balance and/or gait outcomes.
RESULTS: Initially, a total of 5984 articles were identified through the searches. Following the removal of duplicates and screening of titles and abstracts, eight studies remained for full reading, out of which three trials met the eligibility criteria for this systematic review. The included trials exhibited a very low quality of evidence concerning the balance outcome, and none of the trials evaluated gait. The meta-analysis did not reveal significant differences in balance improvement between the use of traditional balance exercises and virtual reality-based games for adolescents with SNHL (effect size: -0.48; [CI: -1.54 to 0.57]; p = 0.37; I2 = 0%).
CONCLUSIONS: Virtual reality-based games show promise as a potential technology to be included among the therapeutic options for rehabilitating the balance of children and adolescents with SNHL. However, given the methodological limitations of the trials and the overall low quality of evidence currently available on this topic, caution should be exercised when interpreting the results of the trials analyzed in this systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: Ménière disease (MD) is an idiopathic disorder that affects hearing and inner ear balance. Intratympanic gentamicin (ITG) is recognized as an effective treatment for uncontrolled MD characterized by persistent vertigo attacks despite therapy. The video head impulse test (vHIT) and skull vibration-induced nystagmus (SVIN) are validated.
METHODS: for evaluating vestibular function. A progressive linear relationship has been identified between the slow-phase velocity (SPV) of SVIN determined using a 100-Hz skull vibrator and the gain difference (healthy ear/affected ear) measured by vHIT. The aim of this study was to ascertain whether the SPV of SVIN was associated with the recovery of vestibular function following ITG treatment. Consequently, we sought to determine whether SVIN could predict the onset of new vertigo attacks in patients with MD who were treated with ITG.
METHODS: A prospective longitudinal case-control study was conducted. Several variables were recorded post-ITG and throughout the follow-up period, followed by statistical analyses. Two groups were compared: patients who experienced vertigo attacks 6 months after ITG and those who did not.
RESULTS: The sample comprised 88 patients diagnosed with MD who underwent ITG treatment. Of the 18 patients who experienced recurring vertigo attacks, 15 demonstrated gain recovery in the affected ear. However, all 18 patients exhibited a decrease in the SPV of SVIN.
CONCLUSIONS: The SPV of SVIN may be more sensitive than vHIT in identifying the recovery of vestibular function following ITG administration. To our knowledge, this is the first study to illustrate the link between a reduction in SPV and the likelihood of vertigo episodes in patients with MD who have been treated with ITG.

OBJECTIVE: Trendy technologies, such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR) are being increasingly used for hearing loss, tinnitus, and vestibular disease. Thus, we conducted this systematic review and meta-analysis to identify the possible benefits of the use of VR and AR technologies in patients with hearing loss, tinnitus, and/or vestibular dysfunction, with the aim of suggesting potential applications of these technologies for both researchers and clinicians.
METHODS: Published articles from 1968 to 2022 were gathered from six electronic journal databases. Applying our specified inclusion and/or exclusion criteria, 23 studies were analyzed. As only one article on hearing loss and two articles on tinnitus were found, 20 studies on vestibular dysfunction were only finally included for the meta-analysis. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) were chosen as estimates to compare the studies. A funnel plot and Egger\'s regression analysis were used to identify any risk of bias.
RESULTS: High heterogeneity (I2: 83%, τ2: 0.5431, p<0.01) was identified across the studies on vestibular dysfunction. VR-based rehabilitation was significantly effective for individuals with vestibular disease (SMDs: 0.03, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.08 to 0.15, p<0.05). A subgroup analysis revealed that only improvement in the subjective questionnaire was meaningful and statistically significant (SMDs: -0.66, 95% CI: -1.10 to -0.22).
CONCLUSIONS: VR-based vestibular rehabilitation showed potential for subjective rating measures like Dizziness Handicap Index. The negative effect of aging on vestibular disease was indirectly confirmed. More clinical trials and an evidence-based approach are needed to confirm the implementation of state-of-the-art technology for hearing loss and tinnitus, representative diseases in neurotology.

UNASSIGNED: We are now able to detect abnormalities for any semicircular canal with the use of the video head impulse test (vHIT). Prior to the vHIT, the gold standard for unilateral canal paresis of the lateral canal was considered the caloric test. Clinical cases where the caloric test and vHIT are discordant are not uncommon.
UNASSIGNED: Retrospective study. All consecutive cases of dizziness seen from 11/2020 to 12/2021 for which the patient underwent both caloric and vHIT tests performed within 10 days, were reviewed. Patients with discordant results were included. We evaluated the caloric response, vHIT gains for all canals and saccades, with and without gain abnormalities.
UNASSIGNED: We included 74 cases of dizziness with dissociated results. The most common finding was a normal caloric response with abnormal vHIT results (60.8%); the main abnormal finding on vHIT was the presence of saccades. In this group, 37.7% of patients had normal gains and refixation saccades. In addition, the most found low gain was for the posterior canal. The main diagnosis in this group was vestibular migraine. For the group with unilateral caloric paresis and normal vHIT gain in the lateral canal, the main diagnosis was Ménière\'s disease.
UNASSIGNED: The most common disorders with discordant results were Ménière\'s disease and vestibular migraine. The caloric test and vHIT are complementary and combining both tests provide greater clinical information. Further research is needed to understand refixation saccades with normal gains.

BACKGROUND: The comorbidity of migraine and benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is well-established, yet the impact of migraine on the BPPV phenotype remains understudied.
METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patients at a tertiary dizziness/vertigo clinic diagnosed with BPPV from 2015 and 2020 was conducted. The study\'s primary outcomes were the age of BPPV onset, Dizziness Handicap Index (DHI), BPPV recurrence, and dizziness-related falls.
RESULTS: In our cohort of 255 BPPV patients, 44.7% had a history of migraine. Those with migraine had an earlier age of BPPV onset than individuals without migraine (60.2 vs. 65.4, p = 0.0018). Migraineurs and non-migraineurs did not differ in their DHI (44.7 vs. 41.6, p= 0.44), recurrence rates (48.3% vs. 40.4%, p= 0.21), and falls (32.5% vs. 37.6%, p = 0.39). Among individuals with horizontal canal BPPV, a higher proportion of migraineurs experienced falls than non-migraineurs (50.0% vs. 6.3%, p = 0.02).
CONCLUSIONS: Migraineurs experience BPPV at a younger age than those without migraine. This finding suggests that migraine, which has been shown to cause inner ear damage, predisposes individuals to developing BPPV earlier. Migraine was also associated with a higher rate of falls among patients with horizontal canal BPPV, indicating that a migraine history may impact the phenotype of BPPV.

Objective:To understand the occurrence of horizontal semicircular canal functional impairment in patients with common vestibular diseases and to explore the characteristics and clinical value of different evaluation methods of horizontal semicircular canal. Methods:From July 2013 to December 2016, patients who attended the vertigo clinic of the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University and completed more than three horizontal semicircular canal function tests were retrospectively analyzed. A total of 396 patients diagnosed as vestibular migraine （VM）, Ménière\'s disease （MD）, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo （BPPV）, vestibular neuritis （VN） and 104 patients with unknown diagnosis were enrolled. The results of caloric test （CT）, rotation test （RT）, head-shaking nystagmus test （HSN） and video head impulse test （vHIT） were collected and the abnormal detection rates of different detection methods were calculated. The sensitivity, specificity and coincidence rate of various detection methods were statistically analyzed using CT as the gold standard. Results:①The abnormal rates of the four evaluation methods from high to low were HSN, CT, RT, vHIT （51.20%, 50.80%, 25.76%, 19.74%, respectively）; ②Taking CT as the gold standard, among these four common vestibular diseases, the sensitivity and specificity of vHIT were 0.13-0.41 and 0.69-1.00, the sensitivity and specificity of HSN were 0.44-0.76 and 0.29-0.69, and the sensitivity and specificity of RT were 0.25-0.45 and 0.50-0.84;③According to statistical analysis, only HSN and CT results showed no statistically significant difference in the 4 diseases. There was no significant difference between RT and CT in VM and BPPV, and vHIT and CT in BPPV. Conclusion:The abnormal rate of HSN results in common vestibular diseases is highest, and it could be recommended as a routine vestibular function screening item. The specificity of vHIT is highest and worthy of promotion. CT is still an irreplaceable method to evaluate the function of horizontal semicircular canal.
目的：了解常见前庭疾病患者水平半规管功能损害的发生状况，探讨不同水平半规管评价手段的特性及临床价值。 方法：回顾性分析2013年7月—2016年12月于大连医科大学附属第一医院眩晕专科门诊就诊且完成3种以上水平半规管功能检测，诊断为前庭性偏头痛（VM）、梅尼埃病（MD）、良性阵发性位置性眩晕（BPPV）、前庭神经炎（VN）的患者共396例及诊断不明患者104例，统计患者冷热试验（CT）、旋转试验（RT）、摇头眼震试验（HSN）及视频头脉冲试验（vHIT）的结果，计算不同检测手段的异常检出率，并以CT作为统计学的金标准评价各种检测手段的敏感性、特异性及符合率差异。 结果：①4种评价手段异常率由高至低依次为HSN、CT、RT、vHIT（51.20%、50.80%、25.76%、19.74%）；②以CT作为金标准，在4种常见的前庭疾病中vHIT的敏感性为0.13~0.41、特异性为0.69~1.00，HSN的敏感性为0.44~0.76、特异性为0.29~0.69，RT的敏感性为0.25~0.45、特异性为0.50~0.84；③经统计学分析只有HSN与CT结果在4种疾病中差异无统计学意义，RT与CT在VM、BPPV中差异无统计学意义，而vHIT与CT结果只在BPPV中差异无统计学意义。 结论：常见前庭疾病中HSN结果异常率最高，建议作为常规前庭功能筛查项目；vHIT的特异性较高值得推广；CT仍为水平半规管功能评价不可替代的手段。.