[Vertigo and a role of neurovisual methods in it etiology and diagnosis]

Investigation of vestibular system using a standard method of electro-nystagmography in complex otoneurologic examination does not provide enough information on the etiology of vestibular analyzer lesion, location and diffusion of the pathological process. Neurovisual methods, in particular MRI and CT, have demonstrated high diagnostic validity in such pathological states as tumors of pons cerebellum and posterior focca; infarctions in the stem and cerebellum regions. The study revealed a role of MRI and CT in etiology of vertigo and lesions of cochleovestibular analyzer. One hundred thirty patients aged 28-74 years with recurrent attacks of systemic rotary vertigo and other its appearances have been examined. In 14 (11%) patients such an attack was accompanied by loss of consciousness, falls, double-vision and other neurological symptoms. All the patients underwent otoneurological examination, computer electronystagmography, auditory evoked potentials registration, CT and MRI. It is shown that peripheral cochleovestibular syndromes caused by arterial hypertension, atherosclerosis and autonomic vascular dystonia are rarely characterized by focal cerebral changes (11 patients by CT data and 17 by MRI).