Tullio phenomenon, sound-induced vertigo, dizziness, nausea or eye movement (

nystagmus Nystagmus is a condition of involuntary (or voluntary, in some cases) Eye movement (sensory), eye movement. People can be born with it but more commonly acquire it in infancy or later in life. In many cases it may result in visual impairment, re ...

) 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 In anatomy, a fistula (: fistulas or fistulae ; from Latin ''fistula'', "tube, pipe") is an abnormal connection (i.e. tube) joining two hollow spaces (technically, two epithelialized surfaces), such as blood vessels, intestines, or other h ...

in the middle or inner ear, allowing abnormal sound-synchronized pressure changes in the

balance organs The statocyst is a balance sensory receptor present in some aquatic invertebrates, including bivalves, cnidarians, ctenophorans, echinoderms, cephalopods, crustaceans, and gastropods, A similar structure is also found in ''Xenoturbella''. The ...

. 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 tick-borne disease caused by species of ''Borrelia'' bacteria, Disease vector, transmitted by blood-feeding ticks in the genus ''Ixodes''. It is the most common disease spread by ticks in th ...

. 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 The semicircular canal dehiscence (SCD) is a category of rare neurotological diseases/disorders affecting the inner ears, comprising the superior, lateral and posterior semi-circular ducts. These SCDs induce SCD syndromes (SCDSs), which define s ...

(SCDS), first diagnosed in 1998 by Dr. Lloyd B. Minor,

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, United States.

References

External links

"Doctor, I can hear my eyes"
- W Albuquerque, A M Bronstein Symptoms Hearing Auditory system Neurology Otology {{pathology-stub