Clinical Features of the Dizzy Patients with Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency

Jang, Yoon Seok; Kang, Myung Koo

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Dizziness is the most common symptom of vertebrobasilar insufficiency (VBI), occurring in at least two-thirds of patients. The aim of our study is to document the clinical features and the treatment outcomes in the dizzy patients with VBI.
SUBJECTS AND METHOD
A retrospective review of 36 patients suffering dizziness associated with VBI was performed at a tertiary referral center.
RESULTS
The most frequent type and duration of dizziness were rotational (52.8%) and minute (55.6%). Sixteen patients (44.4%) reported that their episodes of dizziness occurred several times per a month. Half of the patients had at least one isolated episode of dizziness and in 25% VBI began with an isolated episode of vertigo. Twenty-three patients (63.9%) had risk factors for cerebrovascular diseases. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo occurred in 27.8%, and 38.9% had a significantly decreased or absent response to caloric stimulation. On the dynamic posturography, visual dysfunction (33.4%) and vestibular dysfunction (19.4%) were observed. Thirty-two patients (88.9%) had abnormal finding on the pure tone audiometry. Nineteen (61.3%) of 31 patients experienced resolution or significant reduction of their episodes of dizziness with treatment. But one patient progressed to acute infarction.
CONCLUSION
VBI-associated dizziness cause various clinical manifestations and there should be relevant differential diagnosis for episodic vertigo that last only minutes. We should pay special attention to the VBI in patients with isolated, transient dizziness and the risk factor of the cerebrovascular disease.