VESTIBULAR ABERRATIONS IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

82 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), selected on McAlpine's criteria, were examined by a battery of clinical vestibular tests. Spontaneous nystagmus, positional nystagmus or pathological differential caloric tests were found in 49 (60 per cent) patients. Pathological horizontal optokinetic nystagmus occurred in 47 (57 per cent) patients. In 36 cases, the optokinetic nystagmus was pathological to both sides; in 28 cases combined with a pathological vertical optokinetic nystagmus, which indicates diffuse cerebral lesions. Lesions in the central vestibular system and in the optokinetic pathways are frequently discovered in early or atypical cases of MS by a relevant examination. As it was possible to find subclinical signs of MS by the examination mentioned, it is recommended that patients suspected of suffering from MS be investigated by a vestibular examination, including an examination of the optokinetic nystagmus.