INTRODUCTION: The vascular compression by redundant vessels under the VIII cranial nerves has been studied since the 80's, and many authors proposed correlations between the compression and the otoneurological findings (vertigo, tinnitus, hypoacusis, audiometry and electrophysiological findings). OBJECTIVE: Analyze and correlate the different signs and otoneurological symptoms, the audiological findings and its incidence over individuals with Vascular Loop (VL) diagnosis of VIII cranial nerves by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). METHOD: Retrospective study through the analysis of medical records of 47 patients attended in the otoneurology clinic of Clinical Hospital of UFPR. All the patients have MRI exams with compatible pictures of VL of the VIII cranial nerves. RESULTS: The tinnitus was the most frequent symptom, in 83% of the patients, followed by hypoacusis (60%) and vertigo (36%). The audiometry presented alterations in 89%, the brainstem evoked auditory potential in 33% and the vecto-electronystagmography in 17% of the patients. Was not found statistically significant relation between the buzz or hypoacusis, and the presence of VL in MRI. Only 36% of patients had complaints of vertigo, the main symptom described in theory of vascular compression of the VIII pair of nerve. As in the audiometry and in brainstem evoked auditory potential was not found a statistically significant relation between the exam and the presence of the VL in the RMI. CONCLUSION: The results show independence between the findings of the RMI, clinical picture and audiological results (p>0,05) suggesting that there are no exclusive and direct relation between the diagnosis of vascular loop in the MRI and the clinical picture matching.
vestibulocochlear nerve; tinnitus; hearing loss; audiometry; MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)
