The microsurgical treatment of labyrinthine vertigo.

In summary, (1) the fact that VNS spares auditory function makes it preferable to labyrinthectomy. A comparison of VNS and the "Conservative" operations on the inner ear shows that they have much the same effect on hearing. VNS by controlling vertigo may also provide an additional benefit by eliminating one of the stress factors concerned in the perpetuation of hydrops. (2) In the treatment of vertigo, VNS is now the most effective method of treatment. Because the elimination of vertigo is what chiefly concerns most of our patients, we suggest that when medical treatment and surgical decompression of the saccus endolymphaticus fail to control vertigo, then VNS is the surgical method of choice.