OTO: Peripheral Vestibular System Histopathologic Changes following Head Injury without Temporal Bone Fracture

This podcast highlights original research published in the January 2019 issue of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, the official journal of the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) Foundation. Vestibular symptoms such as dizziness and vertigo are common after head injury and may be due to trauma to the peripheral vestibular system. The pathophysiology of peripheral vestibular symptoms following head injury without temporal bone (TB) fracture, however, is not well understood. Herein, this study investigates the histopathology of the peripheral vestibular system of patients who sustained head injury without a TB fracture. In conclusion, otopathologic analysis of patients with a history of head injury without TB fracture demonstrated peripheral vestibular otopathology. Future studies are necessary to determine if otopathology findings are directly attributable to head injury.   Click here to read the full article.