Find information on thousands of medical conditions and prescription drugs.

Labyrinthitis

Labyrinthitis is a balance disorder that usually follows an upper respiratory tract infection (URI). It is, as the name suggests, an inflammatory process affecting the labyrinths that house the vestibular system of the inner ear. more...

Home
Diseases
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
Amyotrophic lateral...
Bardet-Biedl syndrome
Labyrinthitis
Lafora disease
Landau-Kleffner syndrome
Langer-Giedion syndrome
Laryngeal papillomatosis
Laryngomalacia
Lassa fever
LCHAD deficiency
Leber optic atrophy
Ledderhose disease
Legg-Calvé-Perthes syndrome
Legionellosis
Legionnaire's disease
Leiomyoma
Leiomyosarcoma
Leishmaniasis
Lemierre's syndrome
Lennox-Gastaut syndrome
Leprechaunism
Leprophobia
Leprosy
Leptospirosis
Lesch-Nyhan syndrome
Leukemia
Leukocyte adhesion...
Leukodystrophy
Leukomalacia
Leukoplakia
LGS
Li-Fraumeni syndrome
Lichen planus
Ligyrophobia
Limb-girdle muscular...
Limnophobia
Linonophobia
Lipodystrophy
Lipoid congenital adrenal...
Liposarcoma
Lissencephaly
Lissencephaly syndrome...
Listeriosis
Liticaphobia
Liver cirrhosis
Lobster hand
Locked-In syndrome
Loiasis
Long QT Syndrome
Long QT syndrome type 1
Long QT syndrome type 2
Long QT syndrome type 3
LSA
Lung cancer
Lupus erythematosus
Lyell's syndrome
Lygophobia
Lyme disease
Lymphangioleiomyomatosis
Lymphedema
Lymphoma
Lymphosarcoma
Lysinuric protein...
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Medicines

Labrynthitis causes vertigo, disequilibrium, and sometimes nystagmus beating away from affected ear. Hearing loss is commonly present in the infected ear. Nausea, anxiety and a general ill feeling are common due to the distorted balance signals that the brain receives from the inner ear. There are also sometimes cochlear symptoms such as tinnitus and hearing loss. It appears labyrinthitis is caused by a virus (the herpes virus has been implicated) but can also arise from bacterial infection, head injury, an allergy or as a reaction to a particular medicine. Both bacterial and viral labyrinthitis can cause permanent hearing loss, although this is rare. Prochlorperazine is commonly prescribed for all types of the infection, which helps with the nausea and sickness. Recovery from acute labyrinthine inflammation generally takes from one to six weeks, however it is not uncommon for residual symptoms (disequilibrium and/or dizziness) to last for many months or even years (Bronstein, 2002).

Labyrinthitis and Anxiety

Chronic anxiety is a common side-effect of labyrinthitis which can produce tremors, heart palpitations, panic attacks and depression. Often a panic attack is one of the first symptoms to occur as labyrinthitis begins. While dizziness can occur from extreme anxiety, labyrinthitis itself can precipitate a panic disorder. Three models have been proposed to explain the relationship between vestibular dysfunction and panic disorder (Simon et al, 1998):

  • Psychosomatic model: vestibular dysfunction which occurs as a result of anxiety.
  • Somatopsychic model: panic disorder triggered by misinterpreted internal stimuli (eg. stimuli from vestibular dysfunction), that are interpreted as signifying imminent physical danger. Heightened sensitivity to vestibular sensations leads to increased anxiety and, through conditioning, drives the development of panic disorder.
  • Network alarm theory: panic which involves noradrenergic, serotonergic, and other connected neuronal systems. According to this theory, panic can be triggered by stimuli that set off a false alarm via afferents to the locus ceruleus, which then triggers the neuronal network. This network is thought to mediate anxiety and includes limbic, midbrain and prefrontal areas. Vestibular dysfunction in the setting of increased locus ceruleus sensitivity may be a potential trigger.

Treatment

Because anxiety interferes with the compensation process, it is important to treat an anxiety disorder and/or depression as soon as possible to allow the brain to compensate for any vestibular damage. Acute anxiety can be treated in the short term with benzodiazepines such as diazepam, however long term use is not recommended because of the addictive nature of benzodiazepines and the interference they may cause with vestibular compensation and adaptive plasticity (Solomon and Shepard, 2002). Evidence suggests that selective serotonin reuptake inhinbitors (SSRI) may be more effective in treating labyrinthitis. They act by relieving anxiety symptoms and may stimulate new neural growth within the inner ear allowing more rapid vestibular compensation to occur. Some evidence suggests that viral labyrinthitis should be treated in its early stages with corticosteroids such as prednisone, and possibly antiviral medication such as Valtrex and that this treatment should be undertaken as soon as possible to prevent permanent damage to the inner ear.

Read more at Wikipedia.org


[List your site here Free!]


Labyrinthitis ossificans - Brief Article
From Ear, Nose & Throat Journal, 10/1/01 by Mark Aferzon

A 32-year-old man came to us for evaluation of a profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. The patient's hearing had been normal until he experienced an episode of meningitis when he was 13 years old. He had no history of ear infection or trauma.

An audiogram confirmed that the man had a profound bilateral hearing loss and no sound perception. Because he was not a candidate for hearing aids, computed tomography (CT) of the temporal bones was performed to investigate the feasibility of placing cochlear implants. CT revealed that the inner ear had been completely replaced by dense cortical bone (figure). This finding is consistent with a diagnosis of severe labyrinthitis ossificans. Because of the extent of the osteoneogenesis and the complete absence of sound perception, cochlear implantation was not pursued.

Labyrinthitis ossificans is a pathologic ossification in the cochlea and labyrinth. It is usually caused by an infection that reaches the inner ear via a tympanogenic (most common), meningogenic, or hematogenic route.[1] Chronic otitis media can cause labyrinthitis via either the oval or round window. Bacterial meningitis is the most common cause of meningogenic labyrinthitis. The infection spreads to the inner ear via subarachnoid spaces, such as the cochlear aqueduct and the internal auditory canal. Ossification is typically bilateral and can be seen as early as 3 to 4 months following an episode of acute bacterial meningitis. Between 8 and 24% of all cases of profound deafness in school-aged children are caused by bacterial meningitis.[2] Approximately 2 to 5% of children and adults who survive bacterial meningitis develop a profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss.[3] Hematogenic labyrinthitis is rare (mumps and measles are the most common pathogens).[2,3]

Labyrinthitis ossificans typically involves the perilymphatic space and spares the endolymphatic space. Inflammatory injury results in fibrosis, which is followed by the formation of new bone. CT is used in the preoperative assessment of possible cochlear implantation because it can detect sclerosis, irregularity, or obliteration of the cochlea, vestibule, and semicircular canals. The basal turn of the cochlea is the most frequently affected site, and this can make cochlear implantation difficult or impossible. Depending on the degree of ossification, the electrode can be inserted completely or partially.[34]

References

(1.) deSouza C, Paparella MM, Schachern P, Yoon TH. Pathology of labyrinthine ossification. J Laryngol Otol 1991;105:621-4.

(2.) Nadol JB, Jr., Hsu WC. Histopathologic correlation of spiral ganglion cell count and new bone formation in the cochlea following meningogenic labyrinthitis and deafness. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 1991;100:712-6.

(3.) Weissman JL, Kamerer DB. Labyrinthitis ossificans. Am J Otolaryngol 1993;14:363-5.

(4.) Mabrie DC, Niparko JK. Quiz case 1. Meningitis-related labyrinthitis ossificans. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1999;125:912, 914.

COPYRIGHT 2001 Medquest Communications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group

Return to Labyrinthitis
Home Contact Resources Exchange Links ebay