Related Experiment Videos
[Benign paroxysmal vertigo in childhood]
D Pérez Plasencia1, L D Beltrán Mateos, A del Cañizo Alvarez
1Servicio de ORL y Patología, Cérvico-Facial, Hospital Clínico, Salamanca.
Insights
Benign paroxysmal vertigo of childhood, a migraine equivalent, typically starts around age 4. This vestibular disorder in children generally has a favorable prognosis with normal neurological exams between episodes.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Pediatrics
- Otolaryngology
Background:
- Benign paroxysmal vertigo of childhood (BPVC) is a recurrent vertigo disorder in children.
- Diagnosis is often challenging due to episodic nature and normal interictal otoneurological findings.
Observation:
- This study presents six new cases of BPVC with a minimum one-year follow-up.
- All pediatric patients had a family history of migraine, suggesting a link to migraine disorders.
Findings:
- The findings support the hypothesis that BPVC is a migraine equivalent in children.
- Pathogenesis may involve transient vascular disturbances affecting vestibular pathways, similar to migraine mechanisms.
Implications:
- Understanding BPVC as a migraine equivalent aids in diagnosis and management.
- This research highlights the importance of family history in identifying children with vestibular migraine equivalents.
Abstract:
Benign paroxysmal vertigo of childhood is a clinical disorder that usually begins at age 4. The child's otoneurological examination is normal in the intercrisis and the brief episodes of true vertigo are typical. In this paper we describe six new cases that had a follow-up of at least one year after diagnosis. Only a few of the patients had demonstrated vasomotor migraine, but all the children had a family history of migraine, which supports the hypothesis that this disorder is a migraine equivalent. The pathogenesis may be related with a transitory vascular disturbance that produces ischemia of the vestibular nuclei and pathways, as occurs in other vascular territories during typical migraine. One longer-than-usual episode is reported. Otherwise, the evolution of this condition is favorable.