Role of Long-Term Vestibular Rehabilitation in a Patient with Posterior Fossa Tumor: A Case Report with 2 Years of Follow-Up

BACKGROUND Lhermitte-Duclos disease (LDD) is caused by a rare slow-growing mass in the cerebellum. LDD generally is experienced by young adults, but also it has been encountered in the pediatric population. Lhermitte and Duclos first described cerebellar dysplastic gangliocytoma in 1920. The first case they described included occipital headache, paroxysmal vertigo, falls, hearing problems, and memory deficits. Our patient had typical symptoms of the disorder such as headache, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, and imbalance. The purpose of this case report was to describe the outcome of a computerized dynamic posturography (CDP) vestibular training program combined with home-based exercises designed to improve balance function and reduce the risk of falling by an individual with a posterior fossa tumor. CASE REPORT A 36-year-old male patient was diagnosed with dysplastic gangliocytoma/ganglioglioma according to magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, and pathology reports on March 28, 2016. The patient was treated by partial cerebellar tumor resection on April 7, 2016. After the operation, he reported severe imbalance, nausea, and vomiting for 1 month and visited the Audiology Department on October 20, 2016. The patient was evaluated with the CDP-sensory organization test (SOT) and his composite equilibrium score of this examination was 48, 31% below normal. We administered a 6-week posturography-assisted vestibular rehabilitation (VR) protocol (extending an hour per week) combined with a home-based exercise program twice in 2 years. In the second evaluation we applied in 2018, SOT composite equilibrium score increased to 72 after VR, reaching normal limits. After 2 years, his complaints slightly alleviated and his SOT scores were better when we compared the VR results in 2016. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrated that long-term VR may affect a patient with dysplastic cerebellar gangliocytoma (LDD) presenting imbalance or dizziness.