[Clinical features and therapy of subjective benign paroxysmal positional vertigo]

To evaluate the clinical features and therapy of subjective benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (S-BPPV).

By retrospectively analyzing the results of clinical features and therapy in 12 patients with S-BPPV from January 2003 to September 2006, the results were compared with 24 patients with objective benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (O-BPPV) of posterior semicircular canal.

S-BPPV patients suffered from attack of transient vertigo with sudden onset triggered by head motion but no concomitant nystagmus in Dix-Hallpike test. The latency and duration of vertigo attack were (4.42 +/- 2.02) s and (8.67 +/- 4.31) s in S-BPPV, (3.2 +/- 1.18) s and (14.75 +/- 4.97) s in O-BPPV of posterior semicircular canal. The differences between the two groups were all significant (t = 2.30, P < 0.05 and t = 3.61, P < 0.01). The symptoms disappeared in 11 patients after a single therapy of particular repositioning maneuver and 1 patient after 2 times therapy in S-BPPV. The one-stage success rate was 91.7% in S-BPPV and 79.2% in O-BPPV of posterior semicircular canal, but the difference between these two groups was not significant. The number of circulation therapy in first management was (1.75 +/- 1.08) times in S-BPPV and (3.38 +/- 1.06) times in O-BPPV of posterior semicircular canal, while the difference was significant (t = 4.32, P < 0.01). There were 2 patients recurred during follow-up in S-BPPV and 7 patients in O-BPPV of posterior semicircular canal, but the difference wasn't significant.

Longer latency, shorter duration and need less circulation therapy are achieved in S-BPPV compared with O-BPPV of posterior semicircular canal, which indicate that the effectiveness of S-BPPV seems to be more favorable than that of O-BPPV of posterior semicircular canal.