Electronystagmographic and caloric investigation data about vascular-vestibular dysfunction among patients with vertebrobasilar insufficiency.

Audiovestibular symptoms are the first and often the only clinical signs of vertebrobasilar insufficiency. The aim of our investigation was to analyze the results of caloric and electronystagmographic investigation of vascular-vestibular disorders among patients with vertebrobasilar insufficiency. We examined a total of 55 men (mean age, 51.8 +/- 8.2 years)--a primary group of 35 men with proven vascular-vestibular dysfunction and vertebrobasilar insufficiency and a control group of 20 clinically healthy men. Standard and electronystagmographic ("Tönnies" type) caloric tests were used to evaluate the human vestibular analyzer. Our data from this investigation show that in both rotatory and caloric tests, the slow-phase speed is the most important index about function of the vestibular analyzer.