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.     

Treatment of phobic postural vertigo

In balance clinic practice, phobic postural vertigo is a term used to define a population with dizziness and avoidance behavior often as a consequence of a vestibular disorder. It has been described as the most common form of dizziness in middle aged patients in dizziness units. Anxiety disorders are common among patients with vestibular disorders. Cognitive–behavioral therapy is an effective treatment for anxiety disorders, and vestibular rehabilitation exercises are effective for vestibular disorders. This study compared the effect of additional cognitive–behavioral therapy for a population with phobic postural vertigo with the effect of self–administered vestibular rehabilitation exercises. 39 patients were recruited from a population referred for otoneurological investigation. Treatment effects were evaluated with the Dizziness Handicap Inventory, Vertigo Symptom Scale, Vertigo Handicap Questionnaire, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. All patients had a self treatment intervention based on education about the condition and recommendation of self exposure by vestibular rehabilitation exercises. Every second patient included was offered additional cognitive behavioral therapy. Fifteen patients with self treatment and 16 patients with cognitive– behavioral treatment completed the study. There was significantly larger effect in the group who received cognitive behavioral therapy than in the self treatment group in Vertigo Handicap Questionnaire and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale and its subscales. Cognitive–behavioral therapy has an additional effect as treatment for a population with phobic postural vertigo.A multidisciplinary approach including medical treatment, cognitive–behavioral therapy and physiotherapy is suggested.     

Repeated vs single physical maneuver in benign paroxysmal positional vertigo

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness and possible side effects of a single session of repeated particle repositioning maneuver (PRM) to treat posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) and the usefulness of post-treatment restrictions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 125 consecutive patients with idiopathic BPPV participated in the study. Fifty patients received a single session of repeated PRM only (group I). Results were compared with those of 50 patients with BPPV who received a single PRM (group IIb), and 25 patients who received a single PRM followed by the use of a neck collar and keeping the head upright for 48 h (group IIa). RESULTS: Forty-six patients (92%) of group I, 40 patients (80%) of group IIb, and 21 patients (84%) of group IIa were completely free of signs and symptoms when re-examined 1 week after treatment. Transient nausea and disequilibrium following treatment were reported equally in all subgroups and well tolerated. Nearly all patients of group IIa considered the post-treatment restrictions very inconvenient. CONCLUSIONS: A single session of repeated physical procedure seems to be clinically superior to one single maneuver and well tolerated. Additional post-treatment measurements are inconvenient and should be abandoned.     

Positional vertigo and macroscopic downbeat positioning nystagmus in spinocerebellar ataxia type 6 (SCA6)

To investigate the frequency of positioning nystagmus in degenerative ataxic disorders, we examined downbeat positioning nystagmus (DPN) in 25 patients with spinocerebellar ataxia type 6 (SCA6) and 58 patients with other types of degenerative ataxia. DPN was observed in 21 of the 25 patients with SCA6 (84 %) versus only 3 of the 58 patients (5.2 %) with other types of degenerative ataxia, including multiple system atrophy, SCA1, SCA2, SCA3/Machado-Joseph disease, and non-SCA6 late-onset pure cerebellar ataxia. Our findings indicated that DPN is a distinct part of the clinical presentation of SCA6, showing that vestibular cerebellum is more affected in SCA6 than other types of degenerative ataxia. Received: 11 June 2002, Received in revised form: 24 October 2002, Accepted: 8 November 2002 Correspondence to Hidenao Sasaki, MD, PhD     

Isolated acute vertigo in the elderly; vestibular or vascular disease?

Intruduction – - Elderly patients with isolated acute vertigo are commonly encountered in clinical practice, but little is known about the underlying cause of the symptoms. Material & methods – - We prospectively studied 24 patients aged 50–75 years with the acute onset of isolated vertigo lasting > 48 h and no abnormality on neurological examination other than nystagmus. The study protocol included neuro-imaging (MRI 22 patients, CT 2 patients), Doppler sonography, and electro-oculography. Results — MRI/CT showed the presence of an infarction of the caudal cerebellum in six patients (25%), 3 of whom had a potential cardioembolic source and normal Doppler sonography findings, whereas 3 patients had ipsilateral vertebral artery occlusion and normal cardiac findings. MRI of the posterior fossa was normal in 18 patients. On electro-oculography, ataxic pursuit eye movements was a characteristic finding in patients with cerebellar infarction, whereas caloric test findings were not discriminative. Conclusion – - A caudal cerebellar infarction may easily be misdiagnosed clinically as a labyrinthine disorder, and was found to be the cause in one fourth of patients presenting with isolated acute vertigo.     

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.     

SRM-IV前庭功能诊疗系统在良性阵发性位置性眩晕中的应用体会

目的 评估SRM-IV前庭功能诊疗系统在良性阵发性位置性眩晕（BPPV）中的应用。方法 对我院2015年11月~2016年5月期间应用SRM-IV前庭功能诊疗系统确诊为BPPV的患者进行数据分析。结果 确诊为BPPV的104例患者中,后半规管BPPV 63例（60.6%）,水平半规管BPPV 38例（36.5%）,混合型BPPV 3例（2.9%）,其中左侧半规管BPPV 32例,右侧半规管BPPV 69例,右侧BPPV是左侧的2.16倍。104例患者中,痊愈103例,有效1例,总有效率100%。结论 SRM-IV前庭功能诊疗系统通过360度全方位复位治疗,能精准的查出耳石位置,克服了手法复位中不能耐受的缺点,疗效显著,安全性高,值得临床积极推广。     

Phobic postural vertigo: a first follow-up

Seventy-eight patients with phobic postural vertigo (PPV) and 17 patients with psychogenic disorder of stance and gait (PSG) were asked to evaluate their condition 6 months to 5.5 years after their original referral and short-term psychotherapy. Two results seem most important: (1) PPV had a favourable course with a 72% improvement rate (22% of patients becoming symptom free), whereas the majority of patients with PSG (52%) remained unchanged; (2) the majority of patients with PPV experienced complete remission or considerable improvement even if their condition had lasted between 1 and 20 years prior to diagnosis. Complete remission of PSG was observed only if the disorder had been present less than 4 months; there was no improvement if it had lasted longer than 2 years. PPV can be defined as a distinct clinical entity with a relatively benign course. It can be reliably diagnosed on the basis of typical features.     

Course of illness in phobic postural vertigo

Forty-two patients with phobic postural vertigo took part in a neurological and psychiatric follow-up study. During the follow-up time of about 2.5 years the neurological diagnosis remained stable (41 of 42 patients). PPV can be assigned to various psychiatric categories according to DSM-III-R. Although an association of PPV with anxiety disorders is evident, not all patients present with symptoms of anxiety or panic during attacks of vertigo. However most patients develop a disabling "phobic-avoidance pattern" with recurrent attacks. Important psychosocial stressors can be identified at the onset of the condition. Motives of secondary gain have also to be taken into consideration. The course of illness varies depending on the neurological syndrome of vertigo, on the one hand, and concomitant psychopathological syndromes, on the other. Despite a considerable rate of improvement in vertigo complaints (79%), the group of patients with phobic postural vertigo as a whole presented with significant psychological problems at follow-up term (74%), requiring specific psychiatric and/or psychotherapeutic interventions. Dependent or avoidant personality, and hypochondria were prognostic of a more negative course of illness.     

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。     

前庭功能自旋试验和经颅多普勒超声对中枢性眩晕的应用价值

目的 探讨前庭自旋试验(vestibular autorotation text, VAT)、经颅多谱勒超声(TCD)在中枢性眩晕诊断中的临床应用价值。方法 对86例中枢性眩晕患者和对照组(周围性眩晕患者68例、健康志愿者36 例)进行VAT和TCD检测,计算检查两种方法完成率和敏感性等指标; 比较中枢性眩晕组和对照组VAT、TCD参数水平的差异。结果 190例研究对象TCD完成率(100%)高于VAT完成率91.6%(P<0.05); 中枢性眩晕组、周围性眩晕组、健康对照组VAT完成率分别为93%、88.2%、94.4%(P>0.05)。完成2个检测方法的174例研究对象,中枢性眩晕组水平增益增高高于其他组(P<0.05); 周围性眩晕水平增益降低高于其他组(P<0.05); 周围性眩晕组中非对称性异常高于其他组(P<0.05); 三组间的水平相移、垂直相移、垂直增益无明显差异(P>0.05); VAT法对中枢性眩晕的敏感性、特异性、阳性拟然比、阴性拟然比分别为85%、94.7%、12.41、0.16; TCD法分别为52.5%、89.4%、2.73 、0.53; 2种方法联合为92.5%、86.2%、6.19、0.09。结论 VAT和TCD对诊断中枢性眩晕的价值各有优劣,VAT比TCD更灵敏、准确,而TCD法更简便,检查完成率更高,2种方法联合时诊断的敏感性增加,提高了中枢性眩晕的诊断水平。     

Three patients with migraine following caloric-induced vestibular stimulation

The co-occurrence of migraine and dizziness is greater than would be expected by chance. We report 3 patients who developed migraine following acute vertigo precipitated during caloric testing. A small proportion of the epidemiological links between migraine and vertigo may be due to vertigo-triggered migraine. Received in revised Form: 26 September 2005     

孤立性眩晕型小脑梗死的误诊分析与早期识别

目的旨在探讨急性孤立性眩晕型小脑梗死的早期识别因子及误诊为前庭周围性眩晕的原因。方法通过回顾性分析55例表现为孤立性眩晕发作的急性小脑梗死及58例年龄基本相配前庭周围性眩晕患者的临床资料,分析漏诊和误诊的具体原因,比较分析急性小脑梗死与前庭周围性眩晕患者的临床特点与脑血管病危险因素,寻找早期识别急性小脑梗死的预测因子。结果 13例(23.64%)初诊时被误诊为前庭周围性眩晕者。36例(65.45%)没有步态检查记录,所有患者没有进行眼前庭反射检查,初诊时阳性体征(如眼球震颤、辨距不良及直线行走困难等)的发现率明显偏低。16例(29.09%)没有及时进行头部CT或MRI检查。小脑性眩晕的早期呕吐、头痛症状及眩晕间隙期步态障碍的发生率也明显高于周围性眩晕(P<0.05)。二项Logistic回归分析发现男性、Essen缺血性卒中风险评估(ESRS)>3分是预测急性小脑梗死的重要因子(P<0.05)。结论急性小脑梗死通常表现为孤立性眩晕症状,容易漏诊或误诊。病史询问不详尽、神经系统体格检查不彻底、忽视了神经影像学检查以及早期CT检查的不敏感性是容易漏诊或误诊的重要原因。ESRS>3分、早期出现呕吐或头痛、眩晕间隙期直线行走困难、前庭眼球反射正常对早期诊断小脑性急性孤立性眩晕有重要临床价值。     

良性阵发性位置性眩晕患者伴发焦虑抑郁状况分析

目的探讨良性阵发性位置性眩晕(BPPV)患者伴发焦虑抑郁状态情况及危险因素分析。方法选择该院2018年1月至2020年4月被诊断为良性阵发性位置性眩晕的患者98例,并招募100例年龄、性别、受教育程度相匹配的健康体检人群作为对照组,受试人群均接受汉密尔顿焦虑量表(HAMA)和汉密尔顿抑郁量表(HAMD)评估。结果 BPPV组焦虑和抑郁的患病率均高于对照组(P0.05)。BPPV患者中,38例(38.78%)有焦虑倾向,10例(10.2%)被诊断焦虑症;对照组中6例(6%)有焦虑倾向,2例(2%)诊断焦虑症。BPPV患者中,27例(27.55%)可能抑郁,10例(10.2%)被诊断抑郁症,2例(2.04%)被诊断重度抑郁;对照组中5例(5%)可能抑郁,1例(1%)被诊断抑郁症。女性、发作频率较高、病程长是影响BPPV患者焦虑和抑郁程度的危险因素(P0.05)。结论 BPPV患者发生焦虑和抑郁的概率较高。尤其是女性、发作频率高、病程长的患者。因此,需要早期对BPPV患者的精神障碍进行评估和干预。     

椎动脉扭曲与颈源性眩晕的关系

目的 探讨椎动脉扭曲与颈源性眩晕的关系.方法 对31例拟诊为颈源性眩晕(眩晕组)及80例无眩晕(对照组)的患者进行颅颈动态增强磁共振血管成像(DCE-MRA)检查,测量其颈段直线距离及颈段椎动脉长度,计算其延长值,评价椎动脉扭曲程度.结果 经DCE-MRA检查排除椎-基底动脉有明显狭窄闭塞性改变的患者27例,其中眩晕组9例,对照组18例.眩晕组两侧椎动脉延长值均显著长于对照组(P＜0.05 ～0.01).相关分析显示,左右两侧椎动脉延长值与颈源性眩晕相关(r=0.275,r=0.255;均P＜0.05),左侧椎动脉延长值与年龄呈正相关(r=0.216,P=0.027),颈段直线距离与年龄呈负相关(r=-0.219,P=0.025).结论 椎动脉扭曲源于其颈段缩短,与颈源性眩晕发作有关.     

颅脑外伤中颈性眩晕的早期治疗研究

目的 探讨轻、中型颅脑外伤中颈性眩晕患者的早期治疗方案.方法 将轻、中型颅脑外伤中颈性眩晕患者84例按随机数字表法分成治疗组(38例)与对照组(46例),治疗组采用颈椎牵引、星状神经节封闭、早期颈部理疗等方法 并结合药物治疗,对照组采用单纯药物治疗,对其疗效进行非参数秩和检验分析.结果 治疗组治愈29例,好转8例,无效1例,平均治疗时间20d;对照组治愈26例,好转15例,无效5例,平均治疗时间30 d;治疗组疗效优于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05).结论对颅脑外伤中颈性眩晕患者早期采用针对性治疗,其疗效好于单纯药物治疗,且治疗时间缩短.     

“Vestibular migraine”: effects of prophylactic therapy with various drugs

Vertigo is frequently associated with migraine, and sometimes it is the cardinal symptom. This type of migraine is called “vestibular migraine”, “migrainous vertigo”, or “migraine-associated vertigo”. Earlier findings on effective prophylactic medication for such migraine attacks and their clinical features are few and insufficient. Our aim was to study the influence of prophylactic therapy on this type of migraine and to specify its clinical features. In a retrospective approach 100 patients (median age 47 years, range 21–72 years) with definite or probable vestibular migraine [1] were divided into two groups: those with (74 patients) and those without drug prophylaxis (26 patients). They were then interviewed by telephone at least 6 months after beginning therapy. All patients receiving medical prophylaxis showed a decrease of duration, intensity, and frequency of episodic vertigo as well as nearly all its associated features (p < 0.01). The group without medical prophylactic therapy showed only a reduction of vertigo intensity. Only 39 % of the 100 patients met the current IHS criteria for a basilartype migraine [2]. Thus, we propose that a new category – “vestibular migraine” – should be added to the HIS criteria. Furthermore, our data show that prophylactic medication may be effective for treating vestibular migraine and its associated symptoms; therefore, patient’s response to medical therapy may provide guidance in the diagnostic process of vestibular migraine.