Abstract
A newly devised cephalographic system, a stabilometer and a minicomputer were employed to obtain information on the correlation between head movement and movement of the body's center of gravity (abbreviated as CG-movement).
A total of twenty patients with Ménière's disease were examined. Each set of two-minute recordings was repeated three times in order to verify the reliability of the examination.
The following results were obtained:
1. Patients with unilateral Ménière's disease
Those who were tested shortly after the vertigo attack showed a large locus of head movement and CG-movement. The cross-correlogram was characterized by 0.2 to 0.3Hz sine wave process in the lateral component with the eyes closed. Low positive cross-correlation coefficients were obtained whether the eyes were open or closed. Other patients with unilateral Ménière's disease showed a normal locus of body sway with the eyes open. There were no differences of the correlogram between the recordings with the eyes open and those with the eyes closed.
2. Patients with bilateral Ménière's disease
Characteristic forward and backward CG loci were observed in patients with bilateral loss of vestibular function. They showed marked sine wave processes in the correlograms with the eyes open and with the eyes closed. However, patients with restored or compensated vestibular function, or with slightly disturbed function in unilateral or bilateral labyrinths showed more stable correlograms similar to those of patients with unilateral Ménière's disease.
