Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo: diagnosis and treatment

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) has been recognized as the most common vestibular disorder; it is a term coined in 1952 by Dix and Hallpike, and it is most commonly used to describe a disease with a characteristic clinical presentation believed to be caused by free-floating particles leaving the macula and entering one of the semicircular canals, usually the posterior one, more rarely the horizontal or superior ones. A lot of studies showed as the prevalence is higher in females than in males with a ratio of 2:1; furthermore, prevalence increases with the age: the mean age at onset is 54 years, with a range of 11 to 84 years. The most important clinical manifestations of BPPV are: vertigo, lightheadedness, dysequilibrium and sometimes nausea, vomiting, pallor and sweating. The diagnosis of BPPV is very simple through the Dix-Hallpike test or the diagnostic Semont's maneuver; the increasing information about the BPPV's pathogenesis has led most authors to consider the rehabilitative therapy, and in particular the so-called Semont's "liberatory" maneuver, as the first choice treatment of BPPV, in relation to its quickness and efficacy. In this treatment the debris are moved from the posterior semicircular canal to another location within the vestibular labyrinth. In our review we consider the possible pathogenesis of this disease and the best therapies, like repositioning maneuvers, in a patient affected by BPPV.