Basilar impression. A differential diagnosis of Menier'es disease.

We examined the craniocervical region in 180 patients with nonspecific dizziness and unilateral sensorineural hearing loss in most of them. In 32 cases, we found malformations of the craniocervical region. The symptoms of the basilar impression are probably caused by compression of the vessels of the lower cerebellar region and the brainstem as well as by disturbances of the CSF circulation. The diagnosis of basilar impression is based on lateral x-ray films of the skull base, tomography of this region, and in some cases on computerized axial tomography. We emphasize the importance of basilar impression in the differential diagnosis of Meniere's disease.