Oculomotor dysfunction in patients with syphilis

Abstract

Four patients with syphilis or, in two instances, possibly some other treponematosis, underwent oculomotor and audiological tests. The oculomotor test result was abnormal in all four patients. Three had abnormal smooth pursuit eye movements and two of them had hypometric voluntary horizontal saccades, which indicate that the central nervous system (CNS) was affected. Moreover, one of the patients had pathological auditory brain stem responses, which indicate brain stem dysfunction. Another patient had signs of Menière's syndrome in one ear.