title: [Importance of re-examinations in the diagnosis of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the importance of re-examinations in the diagnosis of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) and its clinical characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  The medical records of 288 BPPV patients treated during January 2009 to December 2010 were reviewed and analyzed. The definite diagnosis was established by re-examinations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among them, 39 (13.5%) were diagnosed by re-examinations or return visits. And 25 patients received a correct diagnosis on the first visit and 14 were diagnosed on return visits. Their ages, gender distribution and the times of particle-repositioning maneuver were the same as the overall profiles. The rate of horizontal semicircular canal BPPV was higher in the 39 re-examined patients than the overall rate (46.15% vs 22.22%). And the latencies decreased during the second examination in 18 patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Re-examinations and return visits are useful for diagnostic clarifications in the suspected BPPV patients.
authors.affiliation: Fudan University, Shanghai, China. wwuqing@eent.shmu.edu.cn
authors.forename: Wu-qing
authors.initials: WQ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Qin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Tong-li
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Ren
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D065635:Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009759:Nystagmus, Pathologic / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010808:Physical Examination; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012665:Semicircular Canals; D014717:Vertigo / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology