The efficacious algorithm for the diagnostics and treatment of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to elucidate the prevalence of various forms of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) among the patients with the complaints of dizziness who had applied for the medical aid. The secondary objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of the newly developed algorithm for the diagnostics and treatment of various forms of the disease. A total of 195 patients with the verified BPPD diagnosis were available for the examination. The fraction of the patients visiting the otoneurologist's office with complaints of this conditions is estimated at 17.8%. It was shown that the women suffer from benign paroxysmal positional vertigo 1.8 times more frequently than the men. The mean age of the patients of either sex experiencing this problem is above 50 years. Most of them have idiopathic pathology. The relationship between benign paroxysmal positional vertigo and vascular neurological disorders or inner and middle ear diseases remains to be elucidated. The present study also included the assessment of the effectiveness of the combination of various repositioning maneuvers, self-assisted vestibular gymnastics in the domestic environment, and training in long lying on the unaffected side.