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Diagnosis of combined peripheral and central vestibulopathy remains a challenge since the findings from peripheral vestibular involvements may overshadow those from central vestibular disorders or vice versa. The aim of this study was to enhance detection of these intriguing disorders by characterizing the clinical features and underlying etiologies. We had recruited 55 patients with combined peripheral and central vestibulopathy at the Dizziness Clinic of Seoul National University Bundang Hospital from 2003 to 2013. Peripheral vestibular involvement was determined by decreased caloric responses in either ear, and central vestibulopathy was diagnosed with obvious central vestibular signs or the lesions documented on MRIs to involve the central vestibular structures. Combined peripheral and central vestibulopathy could be classified into four types according to the patterns of vestibular presentation. Infarctions were the most common cause of acute unilateral cases while cerebellopontine angle tumors were mostly found in chronic unilateral ones. Wernicke encephalopathy and degenerative disorders were common in acute and chronic bilateral disorders. Twenty five (45.5%) patients showed only vestibular findings with or without auditory involvements, but association with gaze-evoked nystagmus, impaired smooth pursuit or central types of head shaking nystagmus indicated a central vestibular involvement in most of them (23/25, 92.0%). Given the requirements for urgent treatments and potentially grave prognosis of combined vestibulopathy, central signs should be sought even in patients with clinical or laboratory features of peripheral vestibulopathy. Scrutinized bedside evaluation, however, secured the diagnosis in almost all the patients with combined vestibulopathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A 74-year-old woman with sudden vertigo and dysarthria showed spontaneous nystagmus beating rightward, upward and clockwise. She also exhibited dysfunction of the left utricle and superior and horizontal canals, which was documented by head impulse and heave tests, measurements of ocular torsion and subjective visual vertical tilt, bithermal caloric tests, and rotation axis analysis of the spontaneous nystagmus. In contrast, functions of the left posterior canal, saccule, and cochlea were remained intact, as evidenced by normal head impulse test, audiometry and vestibular evoked myogenic potential. MRI revealed an acute infarction in the left lateral pons of anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) territory. Our patient with AICA infarction showed isolated damage to the superior vestibular labyrinth or its afferents with preservation of the inferior vestibular labyrinth and auditory function. Our patient provides further evidence that isolated damage to the superior vestibular labyrinth or its afferents may be a mechanism of isolated vascular vertigo. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]