Interaction of somatoform and vestibular disorders

BACKGROUND: The high coincidence of organic vestibular and somatoform vertigo syndromes has appeared to support pathogenic models showing a strong linkage between them. It was hypothesised that a persisting vestibular dysfunction causes the development of anxiety disorders. OBJECTIVE: To determine the relation between vestibular deficits and somatoform vertigo disorders in an interdisciplinary prospective study. METHODS: Participants were divided into eight diagnostic groups: healthy volunteers (n=26) and patients with benign paroxysmal positioning vertigo (BPPV, n=11), vestibular neuritis (n=11), Menière's disease (n=7), vestibular migraine (n=15), anxiety (n=23), depression (n=12), or somatoform disorders (n=22). Neuro-otological diagnostic procedures included electro-oculography with rotatory and caloric testing, orthoptic examination with measurements of subjective visual vertical (SVV) and ocular torsion, and a neurological examination. Psychosomatic diagnostic procedures comprised interviews and psychometric instruments. RESULTS: Patients with BPPV (35.3%) and with vestibular neuritis (52.2%) had pathological test values on caloric irrigation (p<0.001). Otolith dysfunction with pathological tilts of SVV and ocular torsion was found only in patients with vestibular neuritis (p<0.001). Patients with Menière's disease, vestibular migraine, and psychiatric disorders showed normal parameters for vestibular testing but pathological values for psychometric measures. There was no correlation between pathological neurological and pathological psychometric parameters. CONCLUSIONS: High anxiety scores are not a result of vestibular deficits or dysfunction. Patients with Menière's disease and vestibular migraine but not vestibular deficits showed the highest psychiatric comorbidity. Thus the course of vertigo syndromes and the possibility of a pre-existing psychopathological personality should be considered pathogenic factors in any linkage between organic and psychometric vertigo syndromes.     

Dizziness and headache: a common association in children and adolescents.

Vertigo has long been recognized by the clinician as a frequent accompanying symptom of the adult migraine syndrome. This association has not been so readily identified in the pediatric population, and, as a consequence, children undergo unnecessary evaluations. We reviewed the charts of all children and adolescents referred for vestibular function testing to the Balance Center at the Barrow Neurological Institute between July 1994 and July 2000 (N = 31). Items analyzed included age, gender, symptoms that prompted the referral, test outcomes, family medical history, and final diagnosis. The most common justification for vestibular testing referral was the combination of dizziness and headache. Other less common reasons were "passing out" episodes, poor balance, and blurred vision. Normal test results were obtained from 70% of patients (n = 22). The most common abnormal test outcome was unilateral vestibular dysfunction (n = 5). Bilateral peripheral vestibular dysfunction was present in three patients. One patient had central vestibular dysfunction. The final diagnoses were vestibular migraine (n = 11), benign paroxysmal vertigo of childhood (n = 6), anxiety attacks (n = 3), Meniere's disease (n = 2), idiopathic sudden-onset sensorineural hearing loss (n = 1), vertigo not otherwise specified (n = 1), familial vertigo/ataxia syndrome (n = 1), and malingering (n = 1); in five patients, no definitive diagnosis was established. The stereotypical patient with vestibular migraine was a teenage female with repeated episodes of headache and dizziness, a past history of carsickness, a family history of migraine, and a normal neurologic examination. Patients who fit this profile are likely to have migrainous vertigo. Consequently, a trial of prophylactic migraine medication should be considered for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Brain imaging and other tests are appropriate for patients whose symptoms deviate from this profile.     

Final diagnosis of patients with clinically suspected vestibular neuritis showing normal caloric response

Vestibular neuritis is one of the most common peripheral causes of acute vestibular syndrome, of which the diagnosis is generally based on a comprehensive interpretation of clinical and laboratory findings following reasonable exclusion of other disorders. This study aimed to investigate the final diagnosis of patients admitted to hospital under the clinical impression of vestibular neuritis who showed no unilateral caloric paresis.Forty-five patients who visited the emergency department with isolated acute spontaneous vertigo were included. Among them, six patients (13%) developed definitive spontaneous vertigo lasting longer than 20 min again after discharge from hospital, accompanied by hearing loss, which was audiometrically documented, leading to a final diagnosis of definite Ménière’s disease. Nine patients (20%) revisited our clinic with recurrent episodic vertigo without any documented hearing loss or auditory symptoms such as hearing loss, tinnitus or ear fullness, which led to a final diagnosis of possible Ménière’s disease. In four patients (9%), initial spontaneous vertigo and nystagmus changed to positional vertigo and nystagmus on the second hospital day. In 26 patients (58%), neither another episode of vertigo nor auditory symptoms developed during follow-up period (7–92 months), a condition to which the authors gave an arbitrary diagnosis of “mild unilateral vestibular deficit”. In conclusion, patients admitted to hospital under clinical impression of vestibular neuritis may have various final diagnoses, and “mild unilateral vestibular deficit” was the most common final diagnosis among patients who did not meet the diagnostic criteria of vestibular neuritis.     

Psychiatric morbidity and comorbidity in different vestibular vertigo syndromes

Objectives   High rates of coexisting vestibular deficits and psychiatric disorders have been reported in patients with vertigo. Hence, a causal linkage between the vestibular system and emotion processing systems has been postulated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of vestibular function and vestibular deficits as well as preexisting psychiatric pathologies on the course of vestibular vertigo syndromes over 1 year. Methods   This interdisciplinary prospective longitudinal study included a total of 68 patients with vestibular vertigo syndromes. Four subgroups were compared: benign paroxysmal positioning vertigo (BPPV, n = 19), vestibular neuritis (VN, n = 14), vestibular migraine (VM, n = 27), and Menière’s disease (MD, n = 8). All patients underwent neurological and detailed neurootological examinations as well as two standardized interviews and a psychometric examination battery at five different times (T0–T4) over 1 year. Results   The prevalence of psychiatric disorders at baseline (T0) did not differ between the four subgroups. Only patients with VM showed significantly higher rates of psychiatric disorders (p = 0.044) in the follow-up over 1 year. Patients with a positive history of psychiatric disorders before the onset of the vestibular disorder had significantly increased rates of psychiatric disorders compared to patients with a negative history of psychiatric disorders (T1: p = 0.004, T3: p = 0.015, T4: p = 0.012). The extent of vestibular deficit or dysfunction did not have any influence on the further course of the vestibular disease with respect to the development of psychiatric disorders. Conclusion   A positive history of psychiatric disorders is a strong predictor for the development of reactive psychiatric disorders following a vestibular vertigo syndrome. Especially patients with vestibular migraine are at risk of developing somatoform dizziness. The degree of vestibular dysfunction does not correlate with the development of psychiatric disorders.     

Epidemiology of vertigo,migraine and vestibular migraine

Both migraine and vertigo are common in the general population with lifetime prevalences of about 16 % for migraine and 7 % for vertigo. Therefore, a concurrence of the two conditions can be expected in about 1.1 % of the general population by chance alone. However, recent epidemiological evidence suggests that the actual comorbidity is higher, namely 3.2 %. This can be explained by the fact that several dizziness and vertigo syndromes occur more frequently in migraineurs than in controls including benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, Meniere’s disease, motion sickness, cerebellar disorders and anxiety syndromes which may present with dizziness. In addition, there is increasing recognition of a syndrome called vestibular migraine (VM), which is vertigo directly caused by migraine. VM affects more than 1 % of the general population, about 10 % of patients in dizziness clinics and at least 9 % of patients in migraine clinics. Clinically, VM presents with attacks of spontaneous or positional vertigo lasting seconds to days. Migrainous accompaniments such as headache, phonophobia, photophobia or auras are common but not mandatory. Cochlear symptoms may be associated but are mostly mild and non-progressive. During acute attacks one may find central spontaneous or positional nystagmus and, less commonly, unilateral vestibular hypofunction. In the symptom-free interval, vestibular testing adds little to the diagnosis as findings are mostly minor and non-specific. In the absence of controlled studies, treatment of VM is adopted from the migraine sphere comprising avoidance of triggers, stress management as well as pharmacotherapy for acute attacks and prophylaxis.     

Episodic vertigo related to migraine (90 cases): vestibular migraine?

A retrospective study was conducted on 90 patients with episodic vertigo that could be related to migraine as the most probable pathomechanism. Since the majority of the patients did not fulfill the criteria of the International Headache Society (IHS) for basilar migraine, the diagnosis was substantiated by disease course, medical efficacy in treating (ergotamines) and preventing (metoprolol, flunarizine) attacks, ocular motor abnormalities in the symptom-free interval, and careful exclusion of the most relevant differential diagnoses, such as transient ischemic attacks, Menière’s disease, and vestibular paroxysmia. The following clinical features were elaborated. The initial manifestation could occur at any time throughout life, with a peak in the fourth decade in men and a “plateau” between the third and fifth decades in women. The duration of rotational (78%) and/or to-and-fro vertigo (38%) could last from a few seconds to several hours or, less frequently, even days; duration of a few minutes or of several hours was most frequent. Monosymptomatic audiovestibular attacks (78%) occurred as vertigo associated with auditory symptoms in only 16%. Vertigo was not associated with headache in 32% of the patients. In the symptom-free interval 66% of the patients showed mild central ocular motor signs such as vertical (48%) and/or horizontal (22%) saccadic pursuit, gaze-evoked nystagmus (27%), moderate positional nystagmus (11%), and spontaneous nystagmus (11%). Combinations with other forms of migraine were found in 52%. Thus, migraine is a relevant differential diagnosis for episodic vertigo. According to the criteria of the IHS, only 7.8% of these patients would be diagnosed as having basilar migraine. However, to ensure that at least those presenting with monosymptomatic episodic vertigo (78% in our study) receive effective treatment, we propose the use of the more appropriate term “vestibular migraine.” Received: 22 September 1998 Received in revised form: 3 March 1999 Accepted: 16 March 1999     

Health services utilization of patients with vertigo in primary care: a retrospective cohort study

Vertigo and dizziness count among the most frequent symptoms in outpatient practices. Although most vestibular disorders are manageable, they are often under- and misdiagnosed in primary care. This may result in prolonged absence from work, increased resource use and, potentially, in chronification. Reliable information on health services utilization of patients with vertigo in primary care is scarce. Retrospective cohort study in patients referred to a tertiary care balance clinic. Included patients had a confirmed diagnosis of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), Menière’s disease (MD), vestibular paroxysmia (VP), bilateral vestibulopathy (BVP), vestibular migraine (VM), or psychogenic vertigo (PSY). All previous diagnostic and therapeutic measures prior to the first visit to the clinic were recorded. 2,374 patients were included (19.7 % BPPV, 12.7 % MD, 5.8 % VP, 7.2 % BVP, 14.1 % VM, 40.6 % PSY), 61.3 % with more than two consultations. Most frequent diagnostic measures were magnetic resonance imaging (MRI, 76.2 %, 71 % in BPPV) and electrocardiography (53.5 %). Most frequent therapies were medication (61.0 %) and physical therapy (41.3 %). 37.3 % had received homoeopathic medication (39 % in BPPV), and 25.9 % were treated with betahistine (20 % in BPPV). Patients had undergone on average 3.2 (median 3.0, maximum 6) diagnostic measures, had received 1.8 (median 2.0, maximum 8) therapies and 1.8 (median 1.0, maximum 17) different drugs. Diagnostic subgroups differed significantly regarding number of diagnostic measures, therapies and drugs. The results emphasize the need for establishing systematic training to improve oto-neurological skills in primary care services not specialized on the treatment of dizzy patients.     

Psychiatric comorbidity in different organic vertigo syndromes

Objective A high degree of psychiatric disorders has repeatedly been described among patients with organic vertigo syndromes and attributed to vestibular dysfunction. Yet almost no investigations exist which differentiate between various organic vertigo syndromes with regard to psychiatric comorbidity. The following prospective, interdisciplinary study was carried out to explore whether patients with different organic vertigo syndromes exhibit different psychological comorbidities. Methods 68 patients with organic vertigo syndromes (benign paroxysmal positioning vertigo (BPPV) n = 20, vestibular neuritis (VN) n = 18,Menière’s disease (MD) n = 7, vestibular migraine (VM) n = 23) were compared with 30 healthy volunteers.All patients and control persons underwent structured neurological and neuro-otological testing. A structured diagnostic interview (-I) (SCID-I) and a battery of psychometric tests were used to evaluate comorbid psychiatric disorders. Results Patients with VM and MD showed significantly higher prevalence of psychiatric comorbidity (MD = 57%, VM = 65%) especially with anxiety and depressive disorders, than patients with VN (22%) and BPPV (15 %) compared to normal subjects (20 %). These elevated rates of comorbidities resulted in significantly elevated odds-ratios (OR) for the development of comorbid psychiatric disorders in general (for VM OR = 7.5, for MD OR = 5.3) and especially for anxiety disorders (for VM OR = 26.6, for MD OR = 38.7). Conclusion As a consequence, a structured psychological and psychometric testing and an interdisciplinary therapy should be proceeded in cases with complex and prolonged vertigo courses, especially in patients with VM and MD. Possible reasons of these unexpected results in VM and MD are discussed.     

A practical approach to acute vertigo

Patients complaining of symptoms of acute vertigo present a diagnostic challenge for the clinician; the main differential diagnoses are acute unilateral peripheral vestibulopathy ("vestibular neuritis"), cerebellar stroke or migraine. The head impulse test is useful in the acute situation because, of these three diagnostic alternatives, it will only be positive in patients with vestibular neuritis. A history of acute vertigo and hearing loss suggests Ménière's disease but the clinician must be wary of anterior inferior cerebellar artery strokes which may cause audiovestibular loss due to peripheral vestibulocochleal ischaemia, although the accompanying brainstem signs should remove diagnostic ambiguity. We also discuss other less common vertigo diagnoses that may be referred to the neurologist from the acute general hospital take. As ever in neurology, a careful history and focussed examination is necessary in the evaluation and management of acute vertigo.     

前庭性偏头痛发病机制及诊疗的研究进展

前庭性偏头痛为眩晕和偏头痛共存的良性复发性眩晕,发病率较高,反复发作严重影响患者的生活质量,近年来受到研究眩晕学者们的极大关注。与偏头痛一样,前庭性偏头痛的病理生理机制尚不明确,药物治疗方面缺少大样本多中心的随机对照试验验证药物的有效性。临床研究、动物实验等发现前庭性偏头痛与偏头痛存在许多共性。电生理技术、神经影像技术及检验技术为前庭性偏头痛发病机制的研究提供了有效手段。文中对前庭性偏头痛的发病机制、诊断、鉴别诊断以及治疗的研究现状进行综述,以期为临床诊疗提供参考。     

Vascular vertigo syndromes

Ischemia,hemorrhages, and other vascular disorders can result in various central or peripheral vestibular syndromes with vertigo, oculomotor/balance disturbances, and nausea. The vascular vertigo syndromes listed in Table 1 can however be brought about by other causes such as demyelitizing focuses in multiple sclerosis or space-occupying lesions, so that not only localization of the damaged structure but also the various etiologies are decisive for the choice of therapy. Occasionally, combined functional disturbances of the peripheral and central vestibular system appear, such as an infarction of the inferior anterior cerebellar artery, which supplies the labyrinth and parts of the brainstem and cerebellum. In rare cases, a central lesion can have the same signs as a peripheral-vertibular disturbance: a lacunar infarct at the root entry zone of the eighth nerve can mimic a unilateral partial loss of labyrinth function as it occurs in vestibular neuritis, thus named "pseudoneuritis". Differential diagnosis between vestibular migraine, vestibular paroxysmia, transient ischemic brainstem attacks, and Meniere's disease is sometimes so difficult that only trial therapies such as prophylaxis with beta blockers, carbamazepine, thrombocyte aggregation inhibitors, antiplatelet drugs, or betahistin can clarify the issue.     

Epidemiology of vertigo

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Epidemiological findings on the distribution, determinants and outcome of vertigo can be used for clinical decision making and can help understand the underlying causes of vestibular diseases. This article gives an overview of the epidemiology of the vestibular symptom vertigo and of four specific vestibular disorders: benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, migrainous vertigo, Menière's disease and vestibular neuritis. RECENT FINDINGS: Based on a neurotologic survey of the general population, 1-year prevalence estimates for vertigo were 4.9%, for migrainous vertigo 0.89% and for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo 1.6%. Diagnostic positional manoeuvres and treatments for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, however, are still not being done by most doctors. The female preponderance among patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo and migrainous vertigo may be linked to migraine but is not fully understood. A recently reported prevalence of Menière's disease of 0.51% is much higher than previous estimates. Follow-up studies have shown benign paroxysmal positional vertigo recurrence rates of 50% at 5 years and a persistence of dizziness related to anxiety in almost a third of patients 1 year after vestibular neuritis. SUMMARY: The epidemiology of vertigo and vestibular disorders is still an underdeveloped field. Recent studies have underscored the impact of vertigo at the population level, but its determinants and outcome are not well known yet.     

Migräne und Vestibularapparat

Thirty patients with simple or ophthalmic migraine had an otoneurological examination. 13% complained of vertigo during attacks of migraine, 17% of giddiness and 6.7% of tinnitus. The usual tests for equilibrium were normal. On electronystagmographical examination 17% of the patients showed only pathological spontaneous nystagmus, 33% only disturbances of caloric response and 7% a combination of both. Audiological testing was normal. The incidence of vestibular disturbances, particularly sensitivity differences of the labyrinths, was significantly greater in the group of patients with migraine than in a control group of 30 healthy persons (P less than or equal to 0.025). On the average, the sensitivity differences, in terms of duration of reactive nystagmus, were greater for these than for the healthy persons (P less than or equal to 0.01). Patients with vestibular disturbances did not show a greater frequency of pathological EEG readings than patients with normal vestibular function. Some hypotheses concerning the pathogenesis of vestibular symptoms as found in migrainous patients are mentioned.     

Neuro-otological emergencies

PURPOSE OF THE REVIEW: Physicians find acute vertigo a diagnostic challenge. This article review recent evidence outlining the clinical presentation of acute central and peripheral dizzy syndromes and suggest when clinicians may consider acute neuro-imaging. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent evidence highlights the difficulty that acute vertigo may sometimes pose to the clinician. For example, migrainous vertigo may have oculomotor abnormalities suggestive of either central neurological or peripheral vestibular dysfunction. Furthermore, vertebrobasilar stroke syndromes may mimic peripheral disorders such as vestibular neuritis, or when there is hearing involvement may be misdiagnosed as Meniere's disease. In addition to the need for identifying serious conditions in acute vertigo, recent evidence suggests that early steroid treatment in vestibular neuritis may improve long term outcome. Further trials regarding symptomatic outcome are required, however, before routine use of steroids can be recommended in this condition. SUMMARY: Recent findings have not made the assessment of acute vertigo any easier for the nonspecialist. Although the commonest vertigo syndromes are benign, serious conditions such as stroke may masquerade as a peripheral labyrinthine disorder and conversely benign conditions such as migrainous vertigo may have clinical characteristics of central disorders. These findings re-emphasize the need for a thorough clinical evaluation of the acutely dizzy patient.     

Neuro-otological features of benign paroxysmal vertigo and benign paroxysmal positioning vertigo in children: a follow-up study

BACKGROUND: Causes of benign episodic vertigo in paediatric age include benign paroxysmal vertigo of childhood (BPV) and benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). OBJECTIVE: The aim is to review the clinical, audiological and vestibular findings in a cohort of children with BPV and in a group of children with BPPV and to highlight the differences useful to formulating a differential diagnosis. METHODS: Eighteen children, aged 4-9 years, consecutively examined for paroxysmal attacks of dizziness and/or vertigo attacks between January 2002 and December 2002 entered our study. The clinical characteristics of vertigo, presence of triggering factors, family history of migraine, presence of motion sickness, migraine and other accompanying symptoms were considered. Neurological, ophthalmologic, vestibular and auditory functions were assessed. RESULTS: Eight children suffered from BPPV and ten children from BPV. In the BPPV group, the vestibular examination was normal except for the Dix-Hallpike maneuver. Liberatory maneuvers were immediately effective in all patients and all remained symptom-free during the follow-up. In the BPV group, the vestibular examination was positive in 3 patients but none had positive Dix-Hallpike maneuver. All patients with BPV have a positive family history of migraine and seven had a history of motion sickness. In all, migraine was present one year before the vertigo symptoms, with a frequency of at least two migraine episodes a month. CONCLUSION: BPV differs from BPPV in terms of family history, clinical symptoms, otoneurological signs, therapy and clinical evolution. BPPV is characterized by specific otoneurological signs, and must be treated with liberatory maneuvers: neither medical therapy nor strict follow-up is needed.     

Central vestibular disorders

Dizziness or vertigo is an erroneous perception of selfmotion or object-motion as well as an unpleasant distortion of static gravitational orientation. It is caused by a mismatch between the vestibular, visual, and somatosensory systems. Thanks to their functional overlap, the three systems are able to compensate, in part, for each other's deficiencies. Thus, vertigo is not a well-defined disease entity, but rather a multisensory syndrome that results when there is a pathological dysfunction of any of the stabilizing sensory systems (e.g., central vestibular disorders, peripheral vestibular diseases with asymmetric input into the vestibular nuclei). This article provides an overview of the most important and frequent forms of central vestibular vertigo syndromes, including basilar/vestibular migraine, which are characterized by ocular motor, postural, and perceptual signs. In a simple clinical classification they can be separated according to the three major planes of action of the vestibulo-ocular reflex: yaw, roll, and pitch. A tonic imbalance in yaw is characterized by horizontal nystagmus, lateropulsion of the eyes, past-pointing, rotational and lateral body falls, and lateral deviation of the perceived straight-ahead. A tonic imbalance in roll is defined by torsional nystagmus, skew deviation, ocular torsion, tilts of head, body, and the perceived vertical. Finally, a tonic imbalance in pitch can be characterized by some forms of upbeat or downbeat nystagmus, fore-aft tilts and falls, and vertical deviation of the perceived straight ahead. The thus defined syndromes allow for a precise topographic diagnosis as regards their level and side.     

Migrainous vertigo: development of a pathogenetic model and structured diagnostic interview

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Vestibular symptoms occur frequently in patients with migraine. This review refines recently proposed diagnostic criteria for migraine-related vestibular symptoms, and develops a pathophysiological model for the interface between migraine and the vestibular system. RECENT FINDINGS: The epidemiological link between migraine and vestibular symptoms and signs suggests shared pathogenetic mechanisms. Links between the vestibular nuclei, the trigeminal system, and thalamocortical processing centers provide the basis for the development of a pathophysiological model of migraine-related vertigo. During the last year, several studies have increased understanding of the relationship between migraine and vestibular symptoms. A study of motion sickness and allodynia in migraine patients supports the importance of central mechanisms of sensitization for migraine-related vestibular symptoms. A study has demonstrated effective treatment of vertigo with migraine therapy. The identification of migrainous vertigo, however, is hampered by a lack of standardized assessment criteria for both clinical and research practices. The application of published criteria for the diagnosis of migrainous vertigo allows the development of a standardized, structured assessment interview. SUMMARY: An understanding of the relationship between migraine and the vestibular system increases knowledge of the pathogenesis of both migraine and vertigo. In addition, studies have identified successful treatment, with standard migraine therapies, of vestibular symptoms in patients with both migraine and vertigo. The use of a standardized assessment tool to identify this unique population of patients will help future studies to test both the pathological model and effective treatment options.     

Recent advances in central acute vestibular syndrome of a vascular cause

Acute vestibular syndrome (AVS) is characterized by acute onset of spontaneous prolonged vertigo (lasting days), spontaneous nystagmus, postural instability, and autonomic symptoms. Peripheral AVS commonly presents as vestibular neuritis, but may also include other disorders such as Meniere's disease. Vertigo in central AVS due to vertebrobasilar ischemic stroke is usually accompanied by other neurological dysfunction. However it can occur in isolation and mimicking peripheral AVS, particularly with cerebellar strokes. Recent large prospective studies have demonstrated that approximately 11% of patients with isolated cerebellar infarction presented with isolated vertigo mimicking peripheral AVS, and the bedside head impulse test is the most useful tool for differentiating central from peripheral AVS. Herein we review the keys to the diagnosis of central AVS of a vascular cause presenting with isolated vertigo or audiovestibular loss.     

Migraine and isolated recurrent vertigo of unknown cause

Chronic recurrent attacks of vertigo, not associated with any auditory or neurological symptoms, are a common reason for referral to our neurotology clinic. Even after an extensive neurotological evaluation, some cases remain undiagnosed. We prospectively evaluated 72 consecutive patients who presented to the clinic with isolated recurrent vertigo of unknown cause. All patients underwent diagnostic evaluation to exclude identifiable causes of isolated recurrent vertigo. We compared the prevalence of migraine, according to the International Headache Society (IHS) criteria, in the isolated recurrent vertigo group, with a sex- and age-matched control group of orthopedic patients. The prevalence of migraine according to IHS criteria was higher in the isolated recurrent vertigo group (61.1%) than in the control group (10%; p < 0.01). Only 16.7% of patients had an abnormal vestibular function test. The most common abnormal finding was a unilateral vestibular weakness to caloric stimulation. Our results suggest that migraine should be considered in the differential diagnosis of isolated recurrent vertigo of unknown cause.     

偏头痛性眩晕与基底型偏头痛(附9例临床分析)

目的分析9例偏头痛伴眩晕/头晕患者的临床及实验室检查结果,探讨头痛与眩晕/头晕的关系,以利正确诊治。方法作者医院收治的偏头痛伴眩晕/头晕患者9例,对所有患者均详细收集病史,并进行神经系统查体以及前庭功能、听力检查和头颅CT/MRI等实验室检查,以除外中枢性和耳源性眩晕。结果 9例偏头痛伴眩晕/头晕患者中,基底型偏头痛2例,无先兆偏头痛3例,偏头痛性眩晕(migrainous vertigo,MV)6例(其中2例为无先兆偏头痛发作数年后和50岁后转变为MV)。本组6例MV患者中,眩晕/头晕在头痛发作前数秒钟～1h内发生3例,在头痛发作后发生1例,与头痛同时发生1例,另1例偏头痛患者其头痛与眩晕从未同时发作过,为偏头痛等位征。结论 MV是不同于基底型偏头痛的头痛伴眩晕综合征,二者易与梅尼埃病、良性复发性位置性眩晕、后循环缺血(posterior circulation ischemia,PCI)等周围性和中枢性眩晕混淆或并存,临床应注意鉴别。