[Treatment of vertigo with betahistine and its clinical and electrophysiological evaluation]

Betahistine was administered during 4 weeks to 31 patients with vertigo, divided into 3 groups depending on changes in neurological examination. 1 group--13 patients without abnormalities, 2 group--11 with ischemia vertebrobasilaris, 3 group--7 with lesion of VIII nerves. Significant improvement was obtained in 20 patients (65%), most evident in group 1 (in 11). BAEP examination revealed abnormalities in 12 cases before the treatment and recovery in 4 (33.3%) after 4 weeks of treatment. They were: longer latency of the 1 component (39%), and III and V components mainly in the group with baso-vertebral ischemia. It confirms the supposition that disturbances of microcirculation are responsible for the mechanism of vertigo in these cases.