Vol.101 No.11 contentsPRACTICA OTO-RHINO-LARYNGOLOGICA
Vol. 101 No. 11 November 2008
A Case Report: Vertigo due to Superior
Canal Dehiscence Syndrome
Yoshio Masaki
(Masaki Jibika Clinic)
Although relatively commonly reported in other countries, superior canal dehiscence syndrome has only rarely been seen in Japan. This report describes a case of vertigo associated with right superior canal dehiscence syndrome that the author recently encountered. An 82-year-old female patient presented with vertigo after starting to use a hearing aid in her right ear. Vertigo tended to occur after hearing loud voices or when wearing/removing the hearing aid. Examination demonstrated positive results for both Tullio phenomenon and Fistula symptom. The findings on Treponema pallidum hemagglutination assay (TPHA and FTA-ABS) was negative. Computed tomography of the temporal bones demonstrated dehiscence of the bone only in the right superior semicircular canal. Based on these findings, superior canal dehiscence syndrome was therefore suspected to be the cause of the vertigo in this case. The vertigo resolved after discontinuing the use of the hearing aid. The development of vertigo in this case may therefore have been associated with pressure changes in the external auditory canal due to loud sound stimulations and the wearing/removal of the hearing aid.
Key words :vertigo, superior canal dehiscence syndrome, hearing aid, Tullio phenomenon,
Fistula symptom