Posterior BPPV

Abstract

Benign positional paroxysmal vertigo (BPPV) represents the most frequently reported vestibular disorder in neurootological clinical practice and is the most frequent cause of vertigo with a prevalence in the general population of about 24%.1,2 is disorder is characterized by the recurrence of brief and violent crises of true vertigo (spinning dizziness) triggered by horizontal and vertical movements of the head. Each episode of vertigo has an abrupt and sudden onset that lasts for a short time (few seconds to 1 minute) and tends to disappear as rapidly as it appears if the patient remains still. e disorder is de ned as paroxysmal on the basis of the intensity of the vertigo perceived and on the particular trend of the nystagmic ndings linked to each positional crisis (positional paroxysmal nystagmus— PPNy) that tends to increase rapidly, reaching a peak that is maintained for a few seconds, and then decreasing quickly until it completely, and just as suddenly, stops. Sometimes the symptomatology appears to such an extent as to induce patients, often unconsciously, to reduce any move- ments of the head and of the body in order to attenuate the symptoms as much as possible. Other types of vertigo may be correlated to the choosing of certain positions but they do not reveal this particular trend