Audiovestibular impairment presenting as a portent of vertebrobasilar infarction.

Acute audiovestibular symptoms (hearing loss and vertigo) can be caused by labyrinthine disorders such as viral labyrinthitis, cerebrovascular diseases, perilymphatic fistula and acoustic neuroma. If neurological symptoms are not present, it is more likely that viral labyrinthitis is the cause, especially in the absence of abnormal findings on imaging (Lee et al, 2002).