Understanding nystagmus to differentiate central vs peripheral causes of vertigo
- Differentiating the various types of nystagmus can help differentiate central vs peripheral causes of vertigo.
- Two main types of nystagmus: pendular nystagmus (eyes move repetitively in a sinusoidal pattern) and jerk nystagmus (eyes move slowly in one direction and rapidly correct in the opposite direction).
- Types of jerk nystagmus that are always central: pure vertical, pure rotational, and multidirectional nystagmus (where the fast component changes direction depending on which direction the patient is looking).
- Types of jerk nystagmus that are almost always peripheral: unidirectional horizontal nystagmus (fast component is in the same direction regardless of where the patient is looking), vertical rotational nystagmus (the most common nystagmus seen in BPPV).
The Podcast: EM Quick Hits 19 Blunt Cerebrovascular Injury, Physostigmine, TEE in Cardiac Arrest, Understanding Nystagmus, Subtle Inferior MI, Choicebo
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