抄録
Two patients with peripheral vestibular disorders received vestibular training by a method of 18 exercises developed in Kitasato University, Japan. The effects of training were evaluated by the EquiTest system. As already reported in many papers, postural stability based on vestibular function can be tested by conditions 5 and 6 in the sensory organization test (SOT). We used equilibrium and strategy scores as measures in this study. Case 1 (female, aged 70 years) showed severely reduced caloric response in the left ear. She had complained of dizziness and gait disturbance for 8 years. Before training, her equilibrium score was 0 in conditions 5 and 6. After training for about 2 months, these scores became normal. Case 2 (female, aged 46 years) had dizziness for two years because of bilaterally reduced vestibular function. Her equilibrium score was 0 in conditions 5 and 6 before training. Although these scores did not became completely normal, they gradually improved during a 4.5 month training period. Furthermore, there was a significant change in her strategy score in condition 5. She had used ankle strategy before training but changed to hip strategy mainly during the course of training. This suggests that one of the effective points in the training of such a patient is the learning of useful strategies under unstable circumstances. As shown in these two cases, it seems that good effects from vestibular training can be expected even in patients with chronic vestibular disorders of many years duration.
