Vestibular function in Lermoyez syndrome at attack

Abstract

Lermoyez syndrome (LS) has been regarded as a variant of Ménière's disease (MD), but so far there have been very few cases of LS reported in the literature, so such a conclusion is debatable. Specifying the pattern of auditory and vestibular changes at attack using objective quantitative measures is important for understanding the mechanism responsible for MD and LS. Here we report the first objective measures of dynamic otolith function and dynamic semicircular canal function in an LS patient at the time of the attack as well as at quiescence, documenting the fluctuation in otolith and semicircular canal function in the patient. The very rapid changes in dynamic vestibular function at the time of the LS attack appear to complement some of the rapid changes in auditory and vestibular function at the attack in Ménière's disease, supporting the contention that LS is a variant of MD.