Videonystagmography in the diagnosis of oculomotor disorders

Abstract

Videostagmography is a dynamically developing method of objective quantitative eye movement recording in various neurological diseases which has a few advantages over those used previously. The review describes the basics of the method and the most commonly used tests for a number of eye movements. The principles of research into various types of saccades, including pro-saccades, antisaccades, memory-guided saccades and voluntary saccades, as well as other types of eye movements such as smooth pursuit and optokinetic nystagmus, are also covered. Reviewed are parameters which need to be assessed in each case, with possible deviations in these parameters to be recorded during videonystagmography in patients with neurological diseases. Data from previously published studies allowing to anticipate the development of a technique that would enable the presymptomatic and early differential diagnosis of a number of diseases are presented. The review also considers the potential influence of the disease progression, as well as of therapeutic interventions, on the parameters assessed during videonystagmography.

Keywords

• videonystagmography
• oculomotor disorders
• saccades
• neurodegenerative diseases
• diagnosis