title: [Prevalence of neurosonographic disturbances in chronic instability].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dizziness is a common symptom at the outpatient clinic of family doctors. Its origin is usually multifactorial and its outcome is often benign. However, exists a tendency to relate the dizziness with a cerebrovascular disturbance. AIM. To determine if there are cerebrovascular disorders in patients with chronic dizziness using a non invasive technique.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective study was conducted. It included 404 patients without limit of age. The patients were evaluated in a Neurology Outpatient Clinic, to select those patients with chronic instability. A neurosonographic exam was performed to all those selected patients. This exam included colour duplex of the cervical arteries and transcranial Doppler.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Up to 54 % of the patients who were included in the study had a normal carotid study. For the rest of the patients, the thickness intima-media was the most prevalent finding. At the vertebrobasilar system the study of the vertebral arteries was completely normal in 81.7% followed by the presence of microangiopathy in 12.1%. The basilar system was also normal in a high figure (78%) followed by the microangiopathy (17.1%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The vascular disturbances in the vertebrobasilar system are an exceptional finding in patients with chronic instability.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Neurosonología y Unidad de Ictus, Servicio de Neurología, Hospital General Universitario de Alicante, 03010 Alicante, España.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: García-Barragán
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hernández-Lorido
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Pérez
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Medrano
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: López-Hernández
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: García-Escrivá
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tellería-Díaz
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Fernández-Concepción
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Frutos-Alegría
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Carneado-Ruiz
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Moltó-Jordà
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004244:Dizziness / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D012307:Risk Factors; D017585:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial