title: Bedside Assessment of Acute Dizziness and Vertigo.
abstract: Dizziness is a common symptom in emergency departments, general practice, and outpatient clinics. Faced with an acutely dizzy patient, the frontline physician must determine whether or not the symptoms are vestibular in origin and, if they are, which vestibular disorder they best fit. A focused history provides useful clues to the likely cause of dizziness, yet it is the clinical examination that yields the final answer. This article summarizes history and examination techniques that are useful in the assessment of acutely dizzy patients and discusses oculomotor signs that accompany common vestibular disorders.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Neurosciences, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Central Clinical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Electronic address: miriam@icn.usyd.edu.au.
authors.forename: Miriam S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Welgampola
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Neurosciences, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Central Clinical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Andrew Phillip
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Bradshaw
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Neurosciences, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Central Clinical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Corinna
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lechner
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Neurosciences, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Central Clinical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Gabor Michael
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Halmagyi
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D004244:Dizziness / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008575:Meniere Disease / Q000175:diagnosis; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D009759:Nystagmus, Pathologic / Q000175:diagnosis; D014717:Vertigo / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology
keywords: BPV; Meniere disease; Nystagmus; Vestibular migraine; Vestibular neuritis