Electronystagmographic investigations in migraine and cluster headache during the pain-free interval

An involvement of vestibulocochlear functions has been assumed to occur in migraine even in headache-free intervals. To obtain further information on this subject, we investigated an unselected group of patients with various forms of migraine (n = 94) and cluster headache (n = 8) during pain-free periods by means of electronystagmography (ENG). The investigation showed a normal ENG in all patients with cluster headache and in 85 (90.4%) patients with migraine. Five patients showed increased occurrence of horizontal deviations, indicating an impairment of vigilance. A pathological ENG was observed in only four patients, of whom one with "basilar migraine" showed a disturbance of central vestibular functions. Based on the employed methods, it is concluded that vestibular dysfunctions, and in particular those of central origin, are not common in cluster headache and in migraine-with the possible exception of basilar artery migraine.