Romberg test
The Romberg test (also known as the Romberg test ) is a neurological procedure for examining disorders of the sense of balance on the cerebellar , spinal or vestibular level. It was named after the German doctor Moritz Heinrich Romberg .
The test asks the person to stand upright with their feet together and then to close their eyes on a second command. The test is often combined with the lead test, in which the two arms are stretched forward. In addition, the examiner can give light thrusts in all directions to check to what extent the patient can compensate for them.
The test is positive ("positive Romberg sign ") if there is a tendency to sway or fall when the eyes are closed or if a tendency to sway or fall when the eyes are open increases. This is the case with so-called sensitive ataxia , i.e. impairment of the posterior cord tracts, for example with a spinal disease such as funicular myelosis (vitamin B 12 deficiency). The test can also be positive after consuming alcohol . In the case of cerebellar involvement, i.e. cerebellar ataxia , any tendency to fall is not increased by closing the eyes, so the Romberg experiment is negative. A tendency to fall in one direction indicates a disturbance of the deep sensitivity or a disturbance of the organ of equilibrium .
See also
Individual evidence
- ^ KF Masuhr, M. Neumann: Neurology . 4th edition, Hippokrates Verlag, Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 3-7773-1334-3 )
