Mal de debarquement (MdD) is a subjective perception of self-motion after 
exposure to passive motion, in most cases sea travel, hence the name. Mal de 
debarquement occurs quite frequently in otherwise healthy individuals for a 
short period of time (several hours). However, in some people symptoms remain 
for a longer period of time or even persist and this is then called mal de 
debarquement syndrome (MdDS). The underlying pathogenesis is poorly understood 
and therefore, treatment options are limited. In general, limited studies have 
focused on the topic, but the past few years more and more interest has been 
attributed to MdDS and its facets, which is reflected by an increasing number of 
papers. Till date, some interesting reviews on the topic have been published, 
but a systematic review of the literature is lacking and could help to address 
the shortcomings and flaws of the current literature. We here present a 
systematic review of MdD(S) based on a systematic search of medical databases 
employing predefined criteria, using the terms "mal de debarquement" and "sea 
legs". Based on this, we suggest a list of criteria that could aid healthcare 
professionals in the diagnosis of MdDS. Further research needs to address the 
blank gaps by addressing how prevalent MdD(S) really is, by digging deeper into 
the underlying pathophysiology and setting up prospective, randomized 
placebo-controlled studies to evaluate the effectiveness of possible treatment 
strategies.