The relationship between the 3-dimensional structures of semicircular canals and the vertical component of caloric response

Autor: Sachiko Aoki, Yasuko Arai, Ai Masukawa, Keiko Yoda, Kazufumi Suzuki, Yasuhiko Takei, Suguru Nishida
Rok vydání: 2010
Předmět:
Zdroj: Equilibrium Research. 69:424-431
ISSN: 1882-577X
0385-5716
Popis: The origin of the vertical component of caloric nystagmus is unknown. Recent developments in magnetic resonance imaging have enabled precise measurement of the labyrinth. We aimed to explain the direction of the vertical component of caloric nystagmus by assessing the spatial orientation of semicircular canals using MR imaging. Some authors suspected that the inclination of the lateral semicircular canal in respect with the head sagittal plane is the origin of the vertical component of the caloric nystagmus. Other authors suspected that the concurrent activation of 2 vertical canals may be the origin of the vertical component. Therefore, in a group of vertiginous patients we measured the angle between the horizontal canal plane and the head sagittal plane. Further, we calculated the difference of angles between the posterior and anterior canal plane to the head sagittal plane. We compared those values with the direction of the vertical component of caloric nystagmus recorded in those ears. However, neither of those values were related to the direction of the vertical component of caloric nystagmus. We could not explain the direction of the vertical component of caloric nystagmus by special orientation of semicircular canals and assumed that additional influences of other peripheral or central vestibular factors were the potential reason.
Databáze: OpenAIRE