Zur diagnostischen Wertigkeit des nur im Elektronystagmogramm nachweisbaren Lagenystagmus

Abstract

In an earlier investigation (Mulch and Trincker, 1975) it was established that 50% of 120 carefully selected young healthy persons normally showed, when completely excluding any fixation, a slightly intensive vestibular spontaneous nystagmus in at least one position. In a recent series of investigations we now examined 102 test persons from 6 age groups (17 persons per group) between 11 and 70 years of age with the aid of the ENG. Subjectively, these test persons were without complaints. However, contrary to our earlier group of test persons, we did not eliminate those patients with a case history including diseases likely to lead to vestibular damage (e.g. cocussion, otitis). With these investigations we were in the position to prove that the spontaneous nystagmus described in our earlier paper can occur at any age and with the same frequency. Thus, we could exclude that it is the consecutive symptom of an earlier, perhaps traumatic injury (Jatho). If we detected spontaneous nystagmus, its average intensity (speed of the slow phase, total amplitude/min, beats/min) when registered with open eyes in darkness was the same in all age groups. In addition, the present group of test persons was compared with the recent one. These Findings as well as others, which still have to be described, confirm our hypothesis that the here detected spontaneous nystagmus, which is not visible with the Frenzel glasses, is a physiological incident. These findings will have to be considered particularly when giving an opinion on patients with suspected vestibular diseases.