Autonomic Nervous Function in Vertiginous Patients

Side Difference in Meniere's Disease

Abstract

In order to investigate the imbalance of autonomic nervous system in vertiginous patients, ice water immersion test was carried out in 33 healthy subjects and 110vertiginous patients. This test was a convenient method of measuring autonomic nervous function. Side difference was evaluated as autonomic nervous asynmetry by comparing bilateral palm skin temperature after ice water immersion.
In vertiginous patients, incidence of side difference were signi ficantly higher than those in healthy subjects. Especially in Meniere's disease, incidence was 80% at attack stage. This incidence was significant high compared with 19.2% at interval stage and 18.2% in healthy subjects.
Side difference was not found in patients of labyrinthitis and vestibular neuronitis and frequently observed in cases of side differense of vertebrarterial flow. So we assumed that autonomic nervous asynmetry was cause of vertigo attack and autonomic asynmetry and side difference of vertebrarterial flow were correlated each other.