Prevalence of neurosonographic disturbances in chronic instability
García-Barragán, N.; Hernández-Lorido, R.; Sánchez-Pérez, R.M.; Medrano, V.; López-Hernández, N.; García-Escrivá, A.; Tellería-Díaz, A.; Fernández-Concepción, O.; Frutos-Alegría, M.T.; Carneado-Ruiz, J.; Moltó-Jordà, J.M.
Revista de Neurologia 40(2): 85-89
2005
ISSN/ISBN: 0210-0010 PMID: 15712161 Document Number: 587654
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. 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. 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%). The vascular disturbances in the vertebrobasilar system are an exceptional finding in patients with chronic instability.