Failure of the equilibrium organ | The organ of equilibrium

Failure of the equilibrium organ

The organ of balance (vestibular organ) is a tiny organ in the cochlea in our inner ear. At any given moment, this sensory organ receives information about the current position of our body and the direction in which we tilt our head. When we start to spin around in circles or when we turn our head around to call out something to someone, for example, our organ of balance has to work especially fast and precisely so that we do not lose our balance and fall over.

If it comes to a failure in our organ of balance, there is always a dizziness and a certain tendency to fall. It is important to distinguish which part of the organ of equilibrium fails.On the one hand there are the three floor walkways, which are responsible for rotational movements and always monitor in which direction our head and/or body is currently moving. On the other hand, there are the two macular organs (sacculus and utriculus), which measure the so-called translational acceleration and gravity at all times.

So, if we suddenly stop in a car in full speed, these two macular organs provide a quick orientation and the necessary balance. However, it is possible that after a flu-like infection, for example, the patient may experience increased dizziness. This can be caused by a short, one-sided failure of the vestibular organ.

In most cases, the vestibular nerve, the cranial nerve that transmits information to the brain, is disturbed by the viruses and therefore no longer transmits the information to the brain. However, it is also possible that the nerve is compressed when pressure is increased, for example by an inflammation of the middle ear, and is therefore no longer able to transmit the information adequately. As soon as the organ of equilibrium fails, the patient has the feeling that he or she is sitting in a fast spinning carousel.

This results in severe rotational vertigo, often associated with compensatory eye movement (nystagmus). The nystagmus is directed away from the diseased side, which means that in case of a functional disorder (neuritis vestibularis) or a failure of the left organ of equilibrium, for example, the eyes look compensatory in the right direction. At the same time, the patient has the feeling that everything is turning to the left and there is an increased tendency to fall to the left.

However, a so-called benign (benign paroxysmal) positioning vertigo can also occur. In this case it is a matter of recurrent dizziness attacks depending on the patient’s position. In addition, nausea and, in rare cases, vomiting are also common.

In this case it is not a complete failure of the equilibrium organ. It is much more a matter of small crystals of calcium carbonate, which are normally located above the organ of equilibrium, but which have now been removed by trauma (for example, a fall on the ear) and therefore, in certain positions, provide the organ of equilibrium with false information and therefore irritate it. As a result, certain positions of the patient can lead to a sudden but very severe vertigo.

If a patient complains of movement-dependent rotational vertigo combined with swaying vertigo, it is usually a bilateral failure of the vestibular organ (bilateral vestibulopathy). Patients usually find it difficult to orient themselves, especially in darkness. Since the eyes often have blurred vision and there are always compensatory movements (nystagmus), headaches can also occur.

In addition, repeated attacks of dizziness can cause nausea or even vomiting. The cause for a bilateral failure of the vestibular organs is often the so-called Menière’s disease. This is often accompanied by hearing loss or ringing in the ears, but it can also lead to an isolated feeling of dizziness.

Since meningitis can also be a trigger for the dizziness that often occurs, patients should definitely see their doctor for a neurological checkup. However, it is also possible that suddenly occurring dizziness is merely caused by an inflammation of the middle ear and disappears on its own with treatment of the disease.