Vestibular Event Monitoring in the Community and Emergency Room

Patients who are experiencing an attack of acute vertigo often demonstrate nystagmus that could provide useful diagnostic clues that identify the underlying vestibular disorder. Such ictal nystagmus is encountered in primary care, emergency rooms and patients' home environments where methods of recording nystagmus (video nystagmography) are scarce. Investigators worldwide have endeavored to circumvent this difficulty by using novel service models or portable nystagmus recording devices. Here we describe the event-monitoring techniques used thus far and summarize the diagnostic information gathered by ictal video nystagmography.