Vestibular findings in degenerative cns lesions
Abstract
33 patients (9 male and 24 female) aged 28-59 (average 43,2) with multiple sclerosis were tested on the base of electro/videonystagmography. The duration of the disease was from half a year to 26 years. The aim of this study was to estimate the frequency of the central and peripheral vestibular disturbances in multiple sclerosis due to the course of the disease (duration, clinical severity) and the localization of the plaques on MRI. The results showed that visual-oculomotor disturbances, spontaneous and positional nystagmus were the most often vestibular pathologies in multiple sclerosis. It was unexpected that saccade abnormalities did not follow the smooth pursuit and optokinetic disturbances. Pathological eye-tracking test was demonstrated by nearly everybody with multiple sclerosis while optokinetic asymmetry was due to the involvement of periventricular and parieto-temporo-occipital regions. Only positional and spontaneous nystagmus correlated with the course of the diseases- were frequent after long duration and in severe clinical stages. Peripheral vestibular pathological finding such as canal paresis and positional nystagmus of type II according to Nylen were very rare