Effects of Flunarizine in the Treatment of 75 Cases of Vertigo as a Result of Vertebrobasilar Artery Insufficiency

Objective:To survey the clinical effectiveness of flunarizine (commodity name: Sibelium) in the treatment of vertigo as a result of vertebrobasilar artery insufficiency (VBI) as well as the changes in laboratory indices during the medication. Method:75 patients with vertigo caused by vertebrobasilar artery insufficiency served as the subjects of the study. of these, 40 had vertigo of severe degree, 30 of moderate degree and 5 of mild degree. The positive rates of blink reflex (BR), brain stem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP), transcranial doppler(TCD) in all patients before treatment were 82%, 70% and 85%, respectively. Patients were given each 10mg of flunarizine PO qn. The medication lasted 4 consecutive weeks. BR, BAEP and TCD were repeated after the termination of the treatment. Results:After the treatment, 3,2 and 3 patients still complained about vertigo of severe, moderate and mild degrees, respectively. However, 62 patients experienced a complete remission. The positive rates of BR, BAEP, TCD after the treatment were 6%, 4% and 8%, respectively. Conclusion:Flunarizine was found to have a notable therapeutic effect in the treatment of vertigo in VBI patients, and BR, BAEP and TCD may be used as laboratory indices for assessing the therapeutic effectiveness.