Comparative study on gait abnormality in patients with vestibular neuronitis and patients with large acoustic neuroma.

A comparative study on gait analysis comprising 11 patients with vestibular neuronitis and 10 patients with large acoustic neuroma was undertaken by the use of foot switches and electromyography. Central disorders in the neuroma group were evidenced by neurotological examinations. Fourteen healthy adults served as controls. Variables employed for the analysis were time from heel strike to forefoot strike (HA-I), time from heel off to forefoot off (HA-II) as well as duration of stance, swing and double supports (DS), location of maximum contraction of the gastrocnemius during stance, and location of the first and second peak of muscle contraction of the tibialis anterior from early swing phase (TA-off) to early stance phase (TA-on). The occurrence rate of abnormality of HA-I was the highest in both groups and most of the variables showed a higher rate in the large acoustic neuroma cases. In addition, a significantly higher CV value was obtained in HA-II of the lesion side's foot in the AN group. These changes could reflect the pathophysiological difference in the gait control systems between the two groups.