Total caloric eye speed in patients with vestibular migraine.

PURPOSE: Vestibular migraine is a common cause of dizziness that lacks a known objective test. This study examined total eye speed on caloric testing as a diagnostic marker for vestibular migraine.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

Retrospective chart review of patients seen in a tertiary otologic practice between 2004 and 2016 who had undergone caloric testing with water irrigation and had a diagnosis of vestibular migraine (n=34). A group of patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (n=10) were used as a control group. Patients were grouped into quartiles based on total eye speed.

RESULTS

Only patients in the lowest quartile (total eye speed<79) had a diagnosis of vestibular migraine. All other quartiles included a mix of control and vestibular migraine patients.

CONCLUSION

Low total eye speed may be suggestive of a diagnosis of vestibular migraine, but most patients with vestibular migraine do not have low total eye speed.