Evaluation of cerebellar asymmetry with vertigo cases: a stereological study

We aimed to evaluate the relevant methods of stereology to estimate cerebellar asymmetry according to gender in both adult right-handed vertigo cases and healthy cases. The study included 14 adult control subjects and 18 patients with vertigo. The volumes of the cerebellar hemispheres were determined on MRI using the point-counting approach of stereological methods. The mean (+/-SD) of the right cerebellar hemispheres in the patients with vertigo were 52.49+/-5.42 cm3 in males, 50.11+/-4.02 cm3 in females. The mean (+/-SD) of the left cerebellar hemispheres in the patients with vertigo were 53.11+/-3.70 cm3 in males and 49.73+/-4.69 cm3 in females. There was no significant quantitative evidence detected in terms of cerebellar asymmetry between sagittal plane estimates in the cases with vertigo in both genders (p > 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences by genders between vertigo and control subjects (p > 0.05). There was statistical significance only between right and left hemispheres in male control subjects (p=0.039) CONCLUSION: There was no cerebellar asymmetry between control and vertigo cases by gender. The stereological evaluation of cerebellar asymmetry or atrophy in humans in correlation with gender is of importance both for clinicians and anatomists. The technique is simple, reliable, inexpensive and unbiased.