Positional Convergence Spasm: A Case Report

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is one of the most common causes of vertigo. Although quite bothersome, this condition can be easily treated using simple maneuvers. Sudden-onset diplopia, on the other hand, may indicate serious medical conditions. On rare occasions, diplopia may be related to psychogenic convergence spasm and can be induced by positional maneuvers. We report the case of a patient presenting positional vertigo and brief episodes of diplopia without nystagmus, in whom psychogenic convergence spasm was provoked during positional testing. This rare phenomenon highlights the importance of considering functional etiologies in the differential diagnosis of atypical vertigo presentations to avoid unnecessary investigations.

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Publication Details

Journal
Cureus
Published
2025-04-14
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.82251
Primary Topic
Vestibular and auditory disorders
Type
article
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article

Positional Convergence Spasm: A Case Report

Nazibrola Botchorishvili, Marina Janelidze, Sopiko Kartsivadze, Giorgi Mamardashvili
Cureus
Vestibular and auditory disorders
article

Positional Convergence Spasm: A Case Report

Nazibrola Botchorishvili, Marina Janelidze, Sopiko Kartsivadze, Giorgi Mamardashvili
article en

Abstract

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is one of the most common causes of vertigo. Although quite bothersome, this condition can be easily treated using simple maneuvers. Sudden-onset diplopia, on the other hand, may indicate serious medical conditions. On rare occasions, diplopia may be related to psychogenic convergence spasm and can be induced by positional maneuvers. We report the case of a patient presenting positional vertigo and brief episodes of diplopia without nystagmus, in whom psychogenic convergence spasm was provoked during positional testing. This rare phenomenon highlights the importance of considering functional etiologies in the differential diagnosis of atypical vertigo presentations to avoid unnecessary investigations.

CureusVol. 17(4)
Tbilisi State University (GE), Tbilisi State Medical University (GE)
Reduced inequalities
Openalex Percentile: Top 90%
Vestibular and auditory disorders
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