The purposes of this study was to elucidate the clinical characteristics of patients suffering from migraine-associated vertigo (MAV) including results of cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential (cVEMP) and ocular VEMP (oVEMP). Thirty patients diagnosed as having MAV based on the diagnostic criteria by Sakata et al. were enrolled. We performed a retrospective chart review. These patients underwent medical history taking and examinations including cVEMP, oVEMP and a caloric test. All examinations were performed during a symptom-free interval. Twenty one patients (70%) experienced rotatory vertigo, 5 patients (17%) had floating dizziness and 4 patients (13%) had both. Twenty six patients (87%) reported tinnitus and/or aural fullness unilaterally or bilaterally. Their vertigo or dizziness lasted under 60 minutes in 10 patients (34%), 1 hour to 24 hours in 14 patients (46%), and over one day in 5 patients (17%). Canal paresis in the caloric test was observed in 5 patients (17%). Concerning cVEMP, 4 of the 30 patients (13%) showed absent cVEMPs bilaterally, 2 patients (7%) showed absent cVEMPs reflexes unilaterally, and one (3%) demonstrated decreased cVEMP amplitudes unilaterally. Only one patient showed prolonged cVEMP latencies. Concerning oVEMP, 6 of the 30 patients (20%) had absent oVEMP reflexes bilaterally, 2 (7%) had absent oVEMP reflexes unilaterally, and one (3%) had decreased oVEMP amplitudes unilaterally. In 2 patients prolonged oVEMP latencies were observed. No significant correlation was observed among cVEMP, oVEMP and the caloric test. This study showed abnormal vestibular reflexes could be shown by oVEMP as well as the caloric test and cVEMP. It was suggested that a portion of those patients with MAV have abnormal otolith-ocular reflexes.
