Plethysmographic study in the patients with non-specific complaints in the head-cervico-brachial regions: with a special reference to laterality in vasomotor responses and "cervical sympathetic dysharmony".
Bilateral vasomotor responses and sweat gland activities under the control of cervical sympathetic nerves were examined simultaneously by photo-electric plethysmogram (PTG) and skin potential reflex (SPR) in patients with nonspecific complaints in the head-cervicobrachial regions such as headache, dizziness, tinnitus, pain or stiffness of the neck and shoulder, and dullness or numbness of the arms. 137 out of those 355 patients (38.6%) were revealed to have laterality in vasomotor responses, but it was only 3 in 60 normal control subjects (5%) that showed the laterality in vasomotor responses. These results supported the assumption that the cervical sympathetic dysharmony--imbalance between the right and left sides of cervical sympathetic functions--played an important role in causing their various vegetative complaints in the head-cervicobrachial regions.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001132:Arm; D005260:Female; D006257:Head; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009333:Neck; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010991:Plethysmography; D013545:Sweat Glands / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013562:Sympathectomy; D014666:Vasomotor System / Q000503:physiopathology*