Of the vestibulo-spinal reactions, the "stepping test" is considered to be the most important, especially for unilateral peripheral vestibular disturbances. Electronystagmography was performed on seven patients after transtemporal neurectomy of the vestibular nerve, 17 patients with a nearly compensated vesitbular defect after vestibular neuronitis, and seven patients after suboccipital removal of acoustic neuromas. These results were then compared to the spontaneous stepping test. The test could not be performed on six of the seven patients with the operated acoustic neuroma, and on three other patients. The test was positive in only ten of the other 22 patients. It was incorrect in five patients and equivocal in seven. A reliable spontaneous vestibulo-spinal reaction with nearly compensated peripheral vestibular defects could not be determined during the present study.