ABSTRACT
Dizziness and vertigo are common symptoms. Each peripheral vestibular system consists of five confluent fluid-filled chambers: three semicircular canals responsible for the detection of angular acceleration, and the utricle and saccule for linear acceleration. The neuroepithelium of the sensory patches, the maculae, of the utricle and saccule consist of elaborately arranged hair cells that project into a fibro-calcareous plate, the otoconial membrane. The history is the most important aspect in assessing an individual with acute vertigo. A pure tone audiogram is required in every patient with vertigo. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan is required if a central cause is suspected, and a computed tomography (CT) scan is required if the vertigo is thought to be secondary to a middle ear pathology or due to a bony dehiscence of the otic capsule. The vestibular hypofunction associated with Meniere's disease results in episodic dysequilibrium. Vestibular schwannomas are benign tumours originating from either vestibular nerve, most commonly the superior.
