Tullio phenomenon, sound-induced vertigo, dizziness, nausea or eye movement (
nystagmus
Nystagmus is a condition of involuntary (or voluntary, in some cases) eye movement. Infants can be born with it but more commonly acquire it in infancy or later in life. In many cases it may result in reduced or limited vision. Due to the invol ...
) was first described in 1929 by the Italian biologist Prof. Pietro Tullio. (1881–1941)
[Tullio, Pietro: Some experiments and considerations on experimental otology and phonetics: A lecture delivered at the meeting of the "Società dei cultori delle scienze ... e naturali" of Cagliari on 1st, July 1929: L. Cappelli 1929 ASIN: B0008B2T6Y] During his experiments on pigeons, Tullio discovered that by drilling tiny holes in the semicircular canals of his subjects, he could subsequently cause them balance problems when exposed to sound.
The cause is usually a
fistula
A fistula (plural: fistulas or fistulae ; from Latin ''fistula'', "tube, pipe") in anatomy is an abnormal connection between two hollow spaces (technically, two epithelialized surfaces), such as blood vessels, intestines, or other hollow or ...
in the middle or inner ear, allowing abnormal sound-synchronized pressure changes in the
balance organs.
Such an opening may be caused by a barotrauma (e.g. incurred when diving or flying), or may be a side effect of fenestration surgery, syphilis or
Lyme disease
Lyme disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis, is a vector-borne disease caused by the ''Borrelia'' bacterium, which is spread by ticks in the genus ''Ixodes''. The most common sign of infection is an expanding red rash, known as erythema migran ...
.
Patients with this disorder may also experience vertigo, imbalance and eye movement set off by changes in pressure, e.g. when
nose-blowing
Nose-blowing is the act of expelling nasal mucus by exhaling forcefully through the nose. This is usually done into a facial tissue or handkerchief, facial tissues being more hygienic as they are disposed of after each use while handkerchiefs are ...
, swallowing or when lifting heavy objects.
Tullio phenomenon is also one of the common symptoms of
superior canal dehiscence syndrome
Superior semicircular canal dehiscence syndrome is a set of hearing and balance symptoms, related to a rare medical condition of the inner ear, known as ''superior canal dehiscence''. The symptoms are caused by a thinning or complete absence of ...
(SCDS), first diagnosed in 1998 by Dr.
Lloyd B. Minor,
Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...
,
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
, United States.
References
External links
"Doctor, I can hear my eyes"- W Albuquerque, A M Bronstein
Symptoms
Hearing
Auditory system
Neurology
Otology
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