Although vertigo is the expected symptom of unilateral vestibular disease, exceptions have been observed. To determine the relative frequency of this observation, a retrospective study of patients seen over a 1-year period was done. Of the 126 patients found to have unilateral labyrinthine impairment with bithermal caloric testing, only 58 (46%) characterized their symptoms as vertigo. The ramifications of these findings are discussed, and a question is raised as to the propriety of reserving vestibular testing for only those patients describing vertigo.
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