Vestibular Disease - Congenital Peripheral Vestibular Disease
Congenital peripheral vestibular disease is a condition involving the vestibulocochlear nerve and/or vestibular sensory receptors.
Age of Onset: First few weeks after birth
Sex Predisposition: Any sex of animal can be affected
Clinical Course:
Clinical signs of ataxia and imbalance improve over the course of several weeks, although the animal may be left with a persistent head tilt.
Clinical signs of ataxia and imbalance improve over the course of several weeks, although the animal may be left with a persistent head tilt.
Clinical Signs:
Posture and Appearance
Inability to maintain lateral or sternal positions
Movement
Ataxia
Loss of balance (usually ipsilateral to affected side)
Falling to one side (usually ipsilateral to affected side)
Tendency to roll (usually ipsilateral to affected side)
No paresis
Cranial Nerves
Nystagmus (usually the slow side toward the abnormal side (historically described as the fast phase contralateral to affected side)
Positional strabismus (in eye ipsilateral to affected side)
Head tilt (usually ipsilateral to affected side except in the instances of “paradoxical vestibular syndrome”)
Loss of normal oculovestibular reflex
Special Functions (e.g. respiration; urination)
Difficulty suckling as a neonate
Other
**In cases of bilateral vestibular disease, the patient will have symmetrical ataxia without the presence of nystagmus
Posture and Appearance
Inability to maintain lateral or sternal positions
Movement
Ataxia
Loss of balance (usually ipsilateral to affected side)
Falling to one side (usually ipsilateral to affected side)
Tendency to roll (usually ipsilateral to affected side)
No paresis
Cranial Nerves
Nystagmus (usually the slow side toward the abnormal side (historically described as the fast phase contralateral to affected side)
Positional strabismus (in eye ipsilateral to affected side)
Head tilt (usually ipsilateral to affected side except in the instances of “paradoxical vestibular syndrome”)
Loss of normal oculovestibular reflex
Special Functions (e.g. respiration; urination)
Difficulty suckling as a neonate
Other
**In cases of bilateral vestibular disease, the patient will have symmetrical ataxia without the presence of nystagmus
Peripheral vestibular nerve/organ
Unknown
To read more about this disease click below:
