Diagnosis Of Vertigo With New Imaging

Completed

• Conditions: Vertigo
• Interventions: Device: Functional MRI imaging

• Registration Number: NCT00593216
• Lead Sponsor: Boston University

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine the potential usefulness of new functional MRI in diagnostic assessment of patients presenting with vertigo.

Detailed Description

The incidence of vertigo has been reported to be as high as 1.5% in the general population and some reports suggest that more than 5% of adults experience some kind of vertigo each year. In 80% of affected individuals, this symptom resulted in a medical consultation, interruption of daily activities, or sick leave. Therefore, vertigo can have a significant impact on health and well being. Unfortunately, there is not yet any satisfactory objective method for diagnosis of vertigo. At present, the diagnosis usually depends on medical history, vestibular function tests, Dix-Hallpike positioning tests done in the office, and, to some extent imaging studies doen to look for such abnormalities such as acoustic tumor, brain tumor, and evidence of multiple sclerosis. A number of recent studies support the possibility of using functional MRI (fMRI), particularly a new diffusion tensor fiber tracking (DTT) technique, as a new tool for diagnosis of disorders that can cause vertigo. In this study, our hypothesis is that there is an alteration in the activity in neural pathways of patients with vertigo that can be detected by fMRI. To test this assumption, our objective in this study is to determine whether there is a difference between the fMRI images obtained in normal subjects versus those in patients with vertigo.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2007-07
• Study First Submitted: 2008-01-02
• Study First Submitted QC: 2008-01-02
• Study First Posted: 2008-01-14
• Primary Completion: 2008-12
• Study Completion: 2008-12
• Status Verified: 2011-06
• Last Update Submitted: 2011-06-21
• Last Update Posted: 2011-06-23

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 4

Inclusion Criteria

• Healthy volunteer or patient with symptom of vertigo

Exclusion Criteria

• Evidence of mental impairment
• Any type of bioimplant or any type of ferromagnetic bioimplant
• Pregnant females
• Exhibit noticeable anxiety and/or claustrophobia
• History of serious disease in central nervous and cerebrovascular systems.

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Healthy	Functional MRI imaging	Healthy volunteers devoid of any ear problems
Vertigo	Functional MRI imaging	Patients with the symptoms of vertigo

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Activation of target sites on the functional MRI images during the vestibular response	Not specific

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Differences in the fiber tracking of central nervous system specifically involved in the vestibular response	Not specific