Acute cerebellitis is a rare disease with the majority of cases described in children. Little is known about the clinical characteristics and outcome in adults. A 37-year-old Caucasian woman presented with headache, nausea, and photophobia, and was diagnosed as having a migraine attack. Two days later, she subsequently returned with aggravated headache, dysarthria and horizontal nystagmus. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a swollen cerebellum and hydrocephalus and the patient was diagnosed with acute cerebellitis. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examination showed an elevated leukocyte count and protein. Blood serology showed the presence of immunoglobulin M and immunoglobulin G for both Epstein–Barr virus and cytomegalovirus. The patient was treated with dexamethasone and discharged to a rehabilitation center, where she fully recovered. We searched the literature for adult cases of acute cerebellitis. Including our patient, we identified 35 patients with a median age of 36 years. The etiology was unknown in 34% of cases. The most common clinical presentation consisted of headache, nausea/vomiting and ataxia. Six patients presented with only headache and nausea and subsequently returned with cerebellar signs. In 9 cases, the cerebellitis was complicated by hydrocephalus. Half of the patients ended up with neurological sequelae, while follow-up MRI was abnormal in 71%. Acute cerebellitis in adults is a rare disorder which mainly presents with headache, nausea/vomiting and ataxia. To diagnose cerebellitis, imaging of the brain (preferably MRI) is required and CSF examination may be necessary to narrow the differential diagnosis. The treatment depends on the widely diverse etiology, and treatment with steroids is recommended in the case of cerebellar oedema and hydrocephalus. Neurosurgical intervention may be necessary to prevent brain herniation.

Objective: To evaluate the natural course of recurrent vestibulopathy.Study design: Retrospective analysis.Patients: One hundred and five adult patients with attacks of vertigo without auditory or neurological symptoms.Methods: A structured interview was conducted over the telephone, 12 to 62 months after the patient's first visit to the out-patient department.Results: Two-thirds of patients experienced spontaneous resolution of vertigo, while one-third continued to have symptoms. The diagnosis was subsequently changed to migraine in 2 per cent of patients and to Ménière's disease in 1 per cent.Conclusion: The prognosis for patients with recurrent vestibulopathy is good. In a few cases, the diagnosis is provisional and will be subsequently changed to migraine or Ménière's disease.

Objective: To explore the course of vertigo attacks in patients with benign recurrent vertigo (BRV) as compared to patients with Menière's disease (MD) and vestibular migraine (VM).Study design: Prospective cohort study.Setting: Tertiary referral center.Patients: Adult patients who visited the Apeldoorn Dizziness Center between January 2015 and November 2016 and who were diagnosed with BRV, VM or MD. During 3 years participants were contacted every 6 months by telephone to complete a study-specific questionnaire.Main Outcome Measures: Vertigo attack frequency, use of medication, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).Results: The study population (n = 121) consisted of 44 patients with BRV, 34 with VM, and 43 with MD. For the total follow-up period no statistically significant differences between the three diagnosis groups were observed for being attack-free in the past 6 months: OR = 0.86 (95% CI 0.34–2.17; p = 0.745) for VM and OR = 1.06 (95% CI 0.44–2.51; p = 0.902) for MD, compared to BRV. Overall, 19 patients (43.2%) with BRV, 13 (38.2%) with VM, and 35 (81.0%) with MD used medication to prevent vertigo attacks at any point during their 3-year follow-up. Throughout the observation period patients with MD showed an average of 3.37 points (95% CI 0.68–6.07; p = 0.014) higher HADS scores relative to patients with BRV.Conclusion: The course of vertigo attacks was rather favorable in the three groups, as 67–70% of the patients were free of vertigo attacks after 3 years of follow-up. The course of disease in patients with BRV was not distinctive from patients with MD and VM. We assume that BRV is a mild or incomplete variant of VM and MD, rather than a separate disease entity with distinct pathognomonic features.

Background: The relation between vestibular disorders and (quality of) sleep is underexplored scientifically and the complex interactions between vestibular and sleep disorders are far from being well understood. Some studies have been conducted on the association between patients with vestibular disorders and (the occurrence of) sleep disorders, other studies have been published on the prevalence of dizziness complaints in patients with sleep disorders. The quality of sleep in patients with vestibular disorders generally receives little attention in clinical practice.Objective: To establish what is currently known about the mutual relationship between dizziness and sleep, and to assess whether or not there is evidence of causality with regard to this relationship.Methods: After systematically searching four literature database up until 1 April 2024, selected studies were summarized and evaluated through a (critical) review.Results: Ultimately, 42 studies were selected and evaluated. Patients with dizziness in general and patients with a specific vestibular disorder like Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo, Vestibular Migraine, Meniere’s disease, and vestibular hypofunction were significantly more likely to have sleep disorders than control groups. A causal relationship is not supported due to the nature of the studies. In patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome there were significantly more vestibular complaints, and more disorders in the vestibular system were identified.Conclusion: Dizziness complaints often co-exist with a sleep disorder. To what extent this sleep disorder influences dizziness is not clear. Paying attention to the quality of sleep in patients with a vestibular disorder seems to be important. In patients with OSAS, consideration should be given to vestibular complaints and dysfunction.

We conducted a study to determine the causes of dizziness in patients aged 70 years and older who had been referred to our multidisciplinary dizziness clinic between Nov. 1, 2000, and Dec. 31, 2008. This population was made up of 731 patients—254 men (34.7%) and 477 women (65.3%). During their consultations, all of these patients were evaluated simultaneously by an ENT surgeon and a neurologist. We were able to identify the cause of dizziness in 620 of these patients (84.8%). The two most common causes were benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), which was found in 202 patients (27.6%), and hyperventilation/anxiety, which was diagnosed in 112 patients (15.3%). Based on our findings, we conclude that the cause of dizziness can be established in the vast majority of elderly patients. We also compare our findings in these older patients with those of a group of 2,556 younger patients who were seen at our hospital and with the findings reported in other studies.