[Clinical significance of cervical arthropathy in patients with vertigo]

We performed a thorough neuro-otological evaluation and a radiological study of the cervical spine in 102 patients with vestibular symptoms. A group of 20 asymptomatic subjects served as control. Some degree of cervical spondylosis was found in 121 of 122 patients but also in the majority of control subjects. No relationship was observed between the degree of cervical spondylosis and vestibular abnormalities. Instead, the latter were strongly related to age. Thus, an age dependent microvascular damage may be more likely as an etiological factor for vestibular symptoms in the elderly.