06-22-2007, 08:39 AM
A 67-year-old woman comes to the office because of "ringing in her ears," a feeling of "spinning", and
a progressive loss of hearing in her right ear over the past 5 months. She says that this all began "a
while ago with a slight feeling of unsteadiness." She never went to the doctor because she thought she
was "going crazy," but now her husband is getting worried because the television needs to be much
louder and she constantly says "what?" when he speaks to her on her right side. She has no chronic
medical conditions, does not take any medications, and does not drink alcohol. Examination shows
nystagmus, but no other abnormalities. The most likely diagnosis is
A. benign positional vertigo
B. benign recurrent vertigo
C. Meniere's disease
D. toxic labyrinthitis
E. vestibular neuronitis
a progressive loss of hearing in her right ear over the past 5 months. She says that this all began "a
while ago with a slight feeling of unsteadiness." She never went to the doctor because she thought she
was "going crazy," but now her husband is getting worried because the television needs to be much
louder and she constantly says "what?" when he speaks to her on her right side. She has no chronic
medical conditions, does not take any medications, and does not drink alcohol. Examination shows
nystagmus, but no other abnormalities. The most likely diagnosis is
A. benign positional vertigo
B. benign recurrent vertigo
C. Meniere's disease
D. toxic labyrinthitis
E. vestibular neuronitis