p style=text-align: left;strongOBJECTIVE:/strong To report a case of vertebrobasilar dolichoectasia presenting with ipsilateral facial nerve paresis and concomitant severe sensorineural hearing loss.METHODS/strong:br /strongDesign:/strong Case Reportbr /strongSetting:/strong Secondary Government Hospitalbr /strongPatient:/strong One RESULTS:/strong We report a case of vertebrobasilar dolichoectasia with concomitant ipsilateral facial nerve paresis and severe sensorineural hearing loss in an elderly female. She presented to us with left facial nerve palsy House-Brackmann Grade III and prior history of ipsilateral sensorineural hearing loss. MRI of the brain showed normal inner ear structures but revealed a dilated and tortuous basilar artery with compression on the left medulla and possible branches of anterior inferior cerebellar artery as it coursed superiorly and possible partial thrombosis of proximal basilar artery.CONCLUSION:/strong Concomitant facial nerve paresis and sensorineural hearing loss can be the clinical presentations of this rare but important condition. MRI is vital in diagnosing vertebrobasilar dolichoectasia./p
Human ; Female ; Aged 80 and over ; Aged ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural ; Basilar Artery ; Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency

Introduction: Sniffin’ Stick test is a quantitative olfactory test first introduced in the 1990s and has since been used in several countries after cultural-based modifications. Objective: To develop a culturally adapted Sniffin’ Stick test suitable for a Malaysian population. Methods: The study was done in 3 phases. The first phase involved a questionnaire rating the familiarity of 70 odors based on a Likert scale. Sixteen items were then selected for the second phase where subjects were tested on the identification of the 16 odors. Odors recognized by less than 75% of the subjects or their distractors were replaced. These steps were repeated until all 16 odors were recognized by more than 75% of the subjects. In the final phase, the mean Odor Identification (OI) scores utilizing the newly selected 16 odors were collected among healthy individuals. Results: A total of 417 subjects participated in the study. In the first-phase, 5 odors from the original Sniffin’ Stick Test which were unfamiliar were replaced for the phase 2 of the study. In the second-phase, modifications were performed 3 times requiring change of 41 distractors and an additional odor. Finally, using the modified Sniffin Stick test version-4, preliminary results of the mean odor identification scoring for the age groups 16-35,36-55 and more than 55 years of age were obtained which showed age-related variations. Conclusion Our study revealed cultural modifications to the original Sniffin’ Stick Test are required to validate its use in a Malaysian population.