Audiovestibular findings in patients with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease.

CONCLUSION

The long-term follow-up study revealed a good audiovestibular prognosis in our patients with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease (VKH) after adequate treatment.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the audiovestibular findings and long-term prognosis of patients with VKH.

METHODS

A total of 82 ears in 41 patients (9 males and 32 females, aged 18-78 years) with VKH were examined in the audiovestibular study. Of the 41 patients, 16 patients with follow-up periods of more than 12 months (13-158 months) were included in the long-term follow-up study. Audiovestibular examinations included pure-tone audiometry; positional, positioning, and spontaneous nystagmus tests; and a caloric test.

RESULTS

Among the 41 patients, 28 (68%) complained of auditory symptoms at the initial visit and 28 (68%) showed sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). Of the 24 patients who underwent nystagmus tests, only 3 (13%) presented with vestibular symptoms whereas 11 (46%) had nystagmus. Among 32 ears in 16 patients enrolled in the long-term follow-up study, 19 ears showed SNHL at the initial visit. The SNHL returned to normal in 14 ears (74%) and remained minimal in severity in the other 5 ears (26%) at the last visit. None of the patients showed persistent or repetitive vestibular symptoms.