Cervicogenic headache: electronystagmography, perception of verticality and posturography in patients before and after C2-blockade.
Fourteen patients with cervicogenic headache (9F, 5M) with a mean age of 42.8 (29-58) years were examined, before and within two hours after unilateral anaesthetic C2-blockades, clinically as well as by means of electronystagmography, subjective visual vertical test and posturography. After C2-blockade, patients exhibited a slight gait deviation to the injected side without eye movement disorder, dysmetria or ataxia. Although in two of nine patients there was a small influence on lateral body sway on posturography, no specific pattern of abnormalities in eye-head-body coordination could be found before or after C2-blockades. Thus, there is no clinical evidence for a significant reproducible influence of the second cervical root on oculomotor or cerebellar function in cervicogenic headache. These findings confirm earlier data in animal experiments.
Dieterich
M
M
Department of Neurology, University of Munich, Germany.
Pöllmann
W
W
Pfaffenrath
V
V
D000328:Adult; D000777:Anesthetics; D004584:Electronystagmography / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006261:Headache / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009407:Nerve Block; D009900:Optic Nerve; D011187:Posture; D014717:Vertigo
D000777:Anesthetics