Abstract
The jugular bulb is the upper part of internal jugular vein in the temporal bone. Occasionally, the jugular bulb may be high. The relationship between a high jugular bulb and various inner ear diseases has been discussed by several authors. A high jugular bulb with jugular bulb diverticulum is an extremely rare condition which is thought to affect inner ear. We describe a patient with a high jugular bulb and a jugular bulb diverticulum and discuss the relationship between this condition and inner ear disorders.
A 32-year-old woman had had recurrent vertigo attacks and right tinnitus for 4 years. She did not notice any hearing impairment. She suffered a severe vertigo attack starting September 19, 1991 and was admitted to Otowa Hospital on September 27.
Equilibrium function was essentially normal. Pure tone audiogram (on the right) revealed low tone sensori-neural hearing loss. The acoustic brainstem response was almost symmetrical and there was no inter-peak-latency prolongation. A right plain x-ray (Schüller) showed an ordinary sigmoid sinus plate, but CT scan revealed a high jugular bulb on the right. MR angiography demonstrated a high jugular bulb and also a jugular bulb diverticulum.
