Clinical application of posturography

Objective To quantitatively evaluate the vestibular spinal reflex function of normal subjects and vertigo patients. Methods Posturography and related parameters of 40 normal subjects and 78 patients suffering from vertigo were measured with the ST-939 type computerized posturography system. Results There were 5 patterns of postural sway: centripetal, diffuse, forward-backward, right-left and multicentric patterns. The centripetal pattern was the most prominent in the normal subjects, but the diffuse pattern was the most prominent in the vertigo patients. The locus length, velocity and area of postural sway of the vertigo patients were significantly increased as compared with the normal subjects. Conclusion Quantitative analysis of the vestibular spinal reflex function can be reliably and objectively realized with the ST-939 type computerized posturography system. It is a valuable method for the evaluation of vestibular spinal balance function and differential diagnosis of vertigo.