title: Magnetic resonance brain imaging in patients with visual vertigo.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patients with visual vertigo (VV) report dizziness provoked by moving visual surroundings. It has been suggested that these subjects develop a compensation strategy for a vestibulo-proprioceptive deficit and rely excessively on visual input. We have postulated that patients with VV might have brain abnormalities that interfere with appropriate processing of visual stimulation and performed a brain MRI study to verify this hypothesis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with VV of more than 3 months duration were included. They were asked to complete the Situational Characteristic Questionnaire (SCQ) that scores for the symptoms of VV. Dizzy patients without VV served as controls. A brain MRI was performed with a Siemens 1.5 Tesla scanner in patients and controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-four patients with VV were included. Their mean SCQ score was 1.45 ± 0.9 (normal 0.16 ± 0.28). In 50% of patients, abnormalities in MRI imaging were found. Thirty-three percent of 27 controls demonstrated an abnormal brain MRI. The two groups were similar in respect to the prevalence of a localized hemispheric or posterior fossa lesion (P = 0.13), but VV patients had more unspecific white matter brain changes than controls (P = 0.009). Patients and controls did not differ in age and gender distribution (P = 0.9) or the history of a neurotological event preceding their symptoms (P = 0.3).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study suggests that multiple white matter lesions might contribute to occurrence of the phenomenon of VV. Future prospective large-scale studies by specific MR techniques are indicated to validate our preliminary findings and elucidate the pathological mechanism of VV.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology The Assaf Harofeh Medical Center Zerifin Israel ; Affiliated to The Sackler Faculty of Medicine Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv Israel.
authors.forename: Lea
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pollak
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology The Assaf Harofeh Medical Center Zerifin Israel ; Affiliated to The Sackler Faculty of Medicine Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv Israel.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Osherov
authors.affiliation: Affiliated to The Sackler Faculty of Medicine Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv Israel ; Department of Radiology The Assaf Harofeh Medical Center Zerifin Israel.
authors.forename: Nadav
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Berkovitz
authors.affiliation: Affiliated to The Sackler Faculty of Medicine Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv Israel ; Department of Radiology The Assaf Harofeh Medical Center Zerifin Israel.
authors.forename: Inessa
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Beckerman
authors.affiliation: Affiliated to The Sackler Faculty of Medicine Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv Israel ; Public Health Hospital Beer Yaacov Israel.
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stryjer
authors.affiliation: Affiliated to The Sackler Faculty of Medicine Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv Israel ; Department of Radiology The Assaf Harofeh Medical Center Zerifin Israel.
authors.forename: Sigal
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tal
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004244:Dizziness / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059906:Neuroimaging / Q000379:methods; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014717:Vertigo / Q000473:pathology*; D066127:White Matter / Q000473:pathology
keywords: Disability; MRI findings; visual vertigo