[A comparison of the data from otoneurological and computed tomographic examinations performed in the acute period of severe craniocerebral trauma].

Comparison of the otoneurological symptoms and the results of computed tomography (CT) showed that these methods of examination often differed in the information concerning the degree of local and stem manifestations. Otoneurological examination detects very clearly the stem vestibular signs (primary and secondary), while it fails to detect the focal hemispheric disorders due to impaired consciousness of the patients and predominance of stem symptoms. In contrast, CT determines very distinctly focal affections in the cerebral hemispheres (hematomas, contusion) but sometimes does not reveal a pathological condition in the stem parts of the brain. Comparison of the CT and the otoneurological findings made it possible to explain the pathogenesis of some vestibular symptoms, deficit of the caloric nystagmus rapid phase in particular. Diffuse brain edema, which was detected by CT, was attended otoneurologically by deficit of the rapid phase of the caloric nystagmus or by vestibular areflexia. Diffuse edema of one of the cerebral hemispheres is marked with deficit of the rapid phase of the caloric nystagmus only in one direction, in the other direction this nystagmus is of a phase character but tonic. Comparison of the results of CT with the otoneurological symptoms allows the different role and significance of each method in the acute period of craniocerebral trauma to be ascertained. These methods of examination supplement one another because they reflect different aspects of the complex processes taking place in craniocerebral trauma.