Postural Control of Patients with Vestibular Dysfunction

• Main Author: 曾惠仁
• Other Authors: 周有禮
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 1995
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/29128168957071651649

碩士 === 國立成功大學 === 醫學工程研究所 === 83 === 　　It is well recognized that patients with vestibular dysfunction usually suffer from vertiginous or dizzy sensation. The effect of vestibular function loss on postural control depends on the etiology and severity of disease, and the action of central compensation. Human upright postural control mainly relys upon the descending vestibulospinal reflex (VSR). There were much more studies discussing about the ascending vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR), and less about the VSR. Computerized force platform offers data by collecting and calculating the change of center of pressure (COP) from strain gauge at each corner. The goals of this study were to investigate the clinical significance of applying force platform in evaluating the postural control of patients with vestibular dysfunction, and the difference of postural control between normal subjects and patients with acute and subacute vestibular dysfunction. 　　Results showed firstly, static posturography using force platform is a sensitive, rapid, quantitative, not harmful, and reliable tool; it can be used as a screenig and monitoring test in otoneurology. Secondly, acute vestibular dysfunction causes remarkable change in postural control in normal sujects under unilateral caloric stimulation. Meanwhile, the amplitude of body sway is much more increased in lateral direction than in anteroposterior direction during acute vestibular asymmetry. Thirdly, sway length in subacute patients is no longer significantly larger than that of normal subjects; it implys the postural control of subacute patients has improved after acute stage. Fourthly, there is a significant correlation between sway length and vestibular (labyrinthine) asymmetry. Thus, maybe it is meaningful to use the parameter of sway length to reflect the degree of vestibular dysfunction clinically.