Investigation of vestibular damage by antituberculous drugs.

Vestibular function testing was performed regularly on patients who were administered streptomycin, kanamycin, or enviomycin, and vestibular damage was detected at an early stage, and quantitatively. We investigated the point in time at which the therapy should be discontinued. Subjects consisted of 204 cases of tuberculosis treated with streptomycin, kanamycin, enviomycin. They were admitted to the hospital between December 1984 and August 1989. Twenty-eight cases of vestibular dysfunction due to streptomycin, kanamycin, and enviomycin could easily be detected at an early stage by performing Meyer zum Gottesberge's head-shaking test for the evaluation of jumbling, together with Romberg's test and the stepping test. All cases who had vestibular dysfunction completely recovered because of early detection. In addition, 7 cases recovered afterwards from temporary vestibular damage shown only in Meyer zum Gottesberge's head-shaking test (abnormality of vestibulo-ocular reflex was only detected and vestibulo-spinal reflex remained intact), despite continuation of streptomycin injection. When the results of the head-shaking test are less than 50% and when a sway and/or rotation in the stepping test occurs, the injections should be discontinued.