[FIRST YEAR EXPERIENCE OF TERTIARY MULTIDISCIPLINARY NEUROTOLOGY (DIZZINESS AND BALANCE) CLINIC]

Dizziness is a common condition that accounts for an estimated 5% of primary care clinic visits. The differential diagnosis is extensive, which may involve the inner ear, central and peripheral nervous system and the cardiovascular system among others. While routine cases can be diagnosed and treated with primary (general practitioner) or secondary (otolaryngologists (medicine in the community, there are many cases in which it is advisable to refer patients to a tertiary dizziness clinic. These cases include: unclear diagnosis, lack of improvement after medication or physiotherapy, medical comorbidities in which the central compensation process has been affected, chronic dizziness, bilateral vestibular disorder and more. Therefore, we established a multidisciplinary clinic (MDC) in a tertiary referral center at the Rambam Healthcare Campus.

To investigate the first year of the tertiary MDC neurotology clinic.

Retrospective cohort of all patients examined at the tertiary MDC.

The first 123 consecutive patients (62% women) aged 56 years on average (19-85years, ±16) seen in the MDC from October 1, 2020 to October 31, 2021 are reported. Prior to assessment, 79 (64%) patients had been referred by an ENT doctor in the community with an unclear cause of dizziness; 49 (40%) patients experienced ongoing symptoms for years and 61 (50%) patients had dizziness on a daily basis. A total of 56 )46%) patients were found to have a peripheral vestibular cause for their dizziness and 67 (54%) patients had a central or other causes. More than one cause of dizziness and/or imbalance was noted in 20 (36%) of patients. Among the common peripheral vestibular causes were benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) and Meniere's disease, and the central and functional disorders included vestibular migraine and persistent postural perceptual dizziness (PPPD). The frequency and intensity of symptoms were reduced in 29 patients of the 33 (88%) who underwent vestibular physiotherapy in the MDC as opposed to 8 (50%) patients in the community (p <0.05). Physiotherapy was found to be more effective in patients younger than 65 years old, and with less than six months of symptoms (p <0.05). However, patients with a medical history of neurological or cardiovascular problems are less likely to improve (p <0.05).

A tertiary neurotology clinic of a multidisciplinary team can provide proper care in persistent dizziness and/or unclear diagnosis. Vestibular physiotherapy plays a crucial role in the management of a dizzy patient, and hence it should be started as soon as possible.