Natural course of positional vertigo in patients with apogeotropic variant of horizontal canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to assess the natural course of positional vertigo in patients with the apogeotropic variant of horizontal canal type of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (AH-BPPV), which is reported to be more refractory to physiotherapy than the geotropic variant of horizontal canal type of BPPV (GH-BPPV).


METHODS
14 patients with AH-BPPV treated without physiotherapy were asked to visit the hospital every 2 weeks. At every follow-up visit, they were interviewed and positional nystagmus was assessed. After the disappearance of positional nystagmus, patients were asked about the time of cessation of the positional vertigo. Thus, the primary outcomes were evaluated by the self-reported onset and remission of positional vertigo. The time course of remission of positional vertigo was then calculated.


RESULTS
The average and median period from the onset to natural remission of positional vertigo in patients with AH-BPPV was 13 and 7 days, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
We have already reported that the average and median period from the onset to natural remission of positional vertigo in patients with GH-BPPV was 16 and 7 days, respectively (Imai et al., 2005 [8]). Thus, the natural course of AH-BPPV is not as refractory as that of GH-BPPV.
Imai
Takao
T
Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita-shi, Japan. imaitakao@hotmail.com
Takeda
Noriaki
N
Ito
Mahito
M
Inohara
Hidenori
H
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D065635:Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012075:Remission, Spontaneous; D012665:Semicircular Canals; D013997:Time Factors; D014717:Vertigo / Q000503:physiopathology*