Presence Of Nystagmus Research Articles

Pediatric vestibular evaluation with harmonic acceleration.

A group of 101 otologically normal infants and children were evaluated with low-frequency harmonic acceleration (HA) to determine the feasibility of use of this procedure in evaluation of vestibular function in a pediatric population. Ninety-six of the subjects were successfully tested and normative data are presented. A maturational trend was noted (in the presence of nystagmus) in subjects up to 10 months of age and in the phase-lag measurement up to approximately 4 years of age.

Classification of congenital and early onset retinitis pigmentosa.

We retrospectively studied 36 patients with congenital (Leber's amaurosis) and early onset retinitis pigmentosa (RP) to develop a new schematic classification system based on the age at onset of symptoms, severity of visual loss, and associated nonocular abnormalities. Our four groups were designated as complicated and uncomplicated Leber's congenital amaurosis and juvenile and early onset RP. Criteria for patient selection included an extinguished or barely recordable electroretinogram, well-documented age of onset, and comprehensive ocular and medical examinations before the age of 10 years. Among the congenitally blind, the distinguishing features were the degree of hyperopia and the presence or absence of neurologic abnormalities. Among patients with infantile or juvenile onset of retinal degeneration, the distinguishing features were the severity of visual loss and the age at onset of symptoms. The presence of nystagmus and hyperopia and the severity of central visual loss differentiated congenital from early onset RP.

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The thalamic syndrome (Dejerine-Roussy Syndrome) resulting from the thalamic disorder is now understood as a syndrome characterized by hemiplegia, disturbance of sensation, hemiataxia, thalamic pain and choreoathetoid movement. Symptoms and signs resembling this syndrome, i. e. pseudo-thalamic syndrome, were reported in conjunction with some parietal lobe lesions. A case of pseudo-thalamic syndrome resulting from pontine hemorrhage is reported with a clinico-anatomical correlation study. The patient, a 56-year-old man, had suddenly developed right-hand numbness. Neurological examination on admission revealed Bruns-like nystagmus, slight disturbance of speech, right-sided hemiplegia, superficial and deep sensory deficiency and ataxia.A computed tomography taken 3 days after the beginning of the episode showed contrast enhancement around the bilateral pontine tegmentum (left dominant), but no abnormalities in the thalamus or the parietal lobe region. We discussed the topographical lesion of the symptoms and signs of the pseudo-thalamic syndrome seen in pontine tegmenturn hemorrhage.We concluded that a pseudo-thalamic syndrome resulting from pontine lesions will be characterized by the presence of nystagmus.

Peripheral Cone Disease

Peripheral cone disease is characterized by an absent cone function as measured by the ERG but a normal or slightly affected colour vision. The authors examined 20 cases. The most striking fact was the high incidence of myopia and the presence of nystagmus; on the basis of this finding the authors suggest that at least some cases of peripheral cone disease are due to myopic choroido-retinal degeneration (in French: "choroïdose myopique").

Optic Atrophy Following Treatment With Diiodohydroxyquin

Permanent severe bilateral optic atrophy was detected in a 3½-year-old white child with an unusual type of colitis following oral administration of diiodohydroxyquin, 1,950 mg daily for eight weeks, given as nonspecific treatment of diarrhea. Neurological examination four weeks after the appearance of partial blindness revealed no abnormalities other than optic atrophy. Examination three years later showed persistence of the optic atrophy and the presence of nystagmus on extreme lateral gaze. Because of strong evidence suggesting dose-related neurotoxicity associated with use of the chemically similar drug, iodochlorhydroxyquin, it was thought that this child's optic atrophy was caused by the large amount of diiodohydroxyquin he received. The presence of active inflammatory bowel disease in association with pharmacologically delayed colonic emptying may have enhanced colonic absorption of the drug, thereby contributing to its neurotoxicity.

Visual disturbances as the result of nystagmus on direct forward gaze; effect of amobarbital (amytal) sodium.

BLURRING of vision is a common complaint of patients with multiple sclerosis and is usually attributed to the pallor of the optic disks, or bitemporal pallor, frequently observed in this condition. In studying patients with acquired nystagmus on direct forward gaze (fixation nystagmus), we found that they all complained of blurred vision. A more detailed description of this symptom disclosed that the visual disturbance was actually oscillopsia, a visual sensation in which objects appear to be moving rapidly from side to side or up and down (oscillating). It has been observed1that intravenous injections of barbiturates temporarily abolish fixation nystagmus and the associated sensation of oscillopsia. The present investigation consists of the intravenous administration of barbiturates to patients with and without evidence of pallor of the optic disks in the presence of nystagmus on direct forward gaze. When the nystagmus has been abolished, it is possible to evaluate the