Congenital vestibular syndrome

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The congenital vestibular syndrome (also congenital vestibular syndrome ) is a rare hereditary disease in dogs and cats due to a malformation of the balance organ in the inner ear . Like the acquired forms of vestibular syndrome , it manifests itself in tilted head posture, coordination disorders and often numbness .

Occurrence and causes

Congenital vestibular syndrome is more common in some breeds. One assumes an autosomal - recessive inheritance . In dogs are mainly Japanese Akita , Cocker Spaniel , German Shepherd , Doberman and Tibetan Terrier , in cats Burmese cats and Siamese cats affected.

Affected animals show a malformation of the organ of equilibrium with missing or malformed statoliths and often degeneration of the hair cells of the organ of Corti in the cochlea .

clinic

The disease shows first symptoms within the first month of life. Here come head tilt and balance disorders with tendency to drop and slight movement disorders . Most of the time, deafness on one or both sides occurs at the same time, which can be detected by a hearing test or brainstem audiometry . In contrast to most other equilibrium disorders, eye tremors ( nystagmus ) do not occur, but often physiological nystagmus cannot be triggered either.

The diagnosis can be made on the basis of race and age predisposition and the clinical picture.

Treatment is not possible. The course of the disease is very variable. Usually an improvement occurs from the 2nd month of life, as the functional disturbance of the organ of equilibrium is balanced out by other senses (sense of sight , proprioception ), so that despite deafness a largely symptom-free life is possible. Affected animals should, however, be excluded from breeding.

literature

  • M. Baroni et al.: Vestibular apparatus. In: Andre Jaggy (ed.): Atlas and textbook of small animal neurology . Schlütersche 2005, ISBN 3-87706-739-5 , pp. 335-347.