Otoneurological findings in spinocerebellar ataxia.

OBJECTIVE Describe findings observed in ENG of patients with spinocerebellar ataxias. METHOD Forty-three patients were studied, and the following procedures were carried out: anamnesis, otorhinolaryngological and vestibular evaluation (ENG). RESULTS The clinical findings in the entire group of patients were: gait disturbances (83.72%), speech difficulties (48.83%), dizziness (41.86%) and dysphagia (39.53%). Vestibular examination disclosed abnormal caloric exam (83.71%) and saccadic movements (69.76%) with the highest rates of abnormality. The overall presence of alterations in vestibular tests was (90.70%), and the most frequent finding was central vestibular disorder in (74.42%) of patients. CONCLUSION The study showed that alterations in ENG are related to the severity of SCAs or clinical stage of the disease. We emphasize the importance of studying the vestibular system concomitantly to clinical and genetic follow up.