Abstract
Patients with Méniére's disease may occasionally display transient spells of rotary nystagmus on positional testing during the course of the disease. This condition, in which the patients demonstrate nystagmoid movement of the eyes, is appropriately termed benign paroxysmal positional nystagmus of Meniere's disease, and is distinct from benign paroxysmal positional vertigo which is generally accepted to be an independent otologic entity. We experienced 8 cases with such episodes of rotary nystagmus during the past 3years. In 7 of these 8 cases the nystagmus persisted in spite of being treated. It is interesting to note, however, that in all of these 7 cases a marked tendency toward depression was observed, while the patients, when administered with antidepressants at appropriate dosage levels, ceased to develop nystagmus. Based on this finding, the patients' depressive state appears to be the primary cause of the persistant nystagmoid movement of their eyeballs.
