Persistent Postural-Perceptual Dizziness: Precipitating Conditions, Co-morbidities and Treatment With Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Persistent postural perceptual dizziness (PPPD) is a common chronic vestibular disorder characterized by persistent vestibular symptoms, including postural instability and non-spinning vertigo, which is aggravated by motion, upright posture and moving or complex visual stimuli. In our review of 198 cases seen over a 5 year period, we have confirmed a number of common precipitating conditions for PPPD, including anxiety disorders and vestibular migraine. Vestibular abnormalities, including a unilateral loss of vestibular hypofunction and isolated otolith abnormalities, were found on investigation in just under half the cases. The use of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) as a treatment for PPPD resulted in impressive reductions in anxiety and measures of dizziness over follow up periods of up to 6 months.

Objective findings in patients with multi-canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo

Objective The study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics of patients with multi-canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (MC-BPPV). Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of 927 patients with BPPV who were admitted to our hospital between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2019. The clinical data of all patients were collected. The Dix-Hallpike, straight head-hanging, and supine Roll tests were performed in all patients. The nystagmus was recorded using videonystagmography. The clinical characteristics of patients with MC-BPPV and single canal BPPV (SC-BPPV) was analyzed and compared. Results Among 927 patients included, 49 (5.29%) patients had MC-BPPV, 878 (94.71%) patients had SC-BPPV. There were significant differences in the male to female ratio (1:3.90 vs 1:1.81, P < .05), mean age (62.47±12.51 vs 59.04±13.72, P < .05), as well as the ratio of cupulolithiasis to canalithiasis (1:1.45 vs 1:4.78, P < .01) between patients with MC-BPPV and SC-BPPV. The frequency of involvement of PC, HC, and AC were involved for 66 (67.35%), 23 (23.47%), and 9 (9.18%) times, respectively, in patients with MC-BPPV, which were involved in 581 (66.17%), 281 (32.0%), and 16 (1.82%) patients, respectively, in patients with SC-BPPV. No significant difference was found in the frequency of involvement of PC and HC between patients with MC-BPPV and SC-BPPV, while there was significant difference in the frequency of AC involvement between 2 groups ( P < .01). Ipsilateral PC-HC-BPPV (n = 18) and bilateral PC-BPPV (n=19) were the most common among patients with MC-BPPV. Twenty-six (53.06%) patients had ipsilateral MC-BPPV, 23 (46.94%) had bilateral MC-BPPV. Of the 26 patients with ipsilateral MC-BPPV, 7 patients combined with unilateral peripheral vestibular disorder. Conclusion Patients with MC-BPPV had a significantly older mean age at disease onset and a higher proportion of females compared with patients with SC-BPPV. Cupulolithiasis was more common in MC-BPPV. AC involvement was also much more common in MC-BPPV than in SC-BPPV.

History Taking in Non-Acute Vestibular Symptoms: A Four-Step Approach

History taking is crucial in the diagnostic process for vestibular disorders. To facilitate the process, systems such as TiTrATE, SO STONED, and DISCOHAT have been used to describe the different paradigms; together, they address the most important aspects of history taking, viz. time course, triggers, and accompanying symptoms. However, multiple (vestibular) disorders may co-occur in the same patient. This complicates history taking, since the time course, triggers, and accompanying symptoms can vary, depending on the disorder. History taking can, therefore, be improved by addressing the important aspects of each co-occurring vestibular disorder separately. The aim of this document is to describe a four-step approach for improving history taking in patients with non-acute vestibular symptoms, by guiding the clinician and the patient through the history taking process. It involves a systematic approach that explicitly identifies all co-occurring vestibular disorders in the same patient, and which addresses each of these vestibular disorders separately. The four steps are: (1) describing any attack(s) of vertigo and/or dizziness; (2) describing any chronic vestibular symptoms; (3) screening for functional, psychological, and psychiatric co-morbidity; (4) establishing a comprehensive diagnosis, including all possible co-occurring (vestibular) disorders. In addition, pearls and pitfalls will be discussed separately for each step.

Repositioning maneuvers in benign paroxysmal positional vertigo: how do we improve outcomes?

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the most common peripheral vestibular disorder. A series of meetings with clinicians treating BPPV were conducted to seek their views on improving outcomes in patients with BPPV. BPPV is primarily treated by Otolith repositioning maneuvers (ORM) to help to move the otoconia out of the canal and lead it back to the vestibule. Although repositioning maneuvers are effective in BPPV management, some patients experience residual dizziness, postural instability, recurrences, and psycho-emotional consequences after about 1 month after repositioning. An important and useful non-pharmacological intervention for patients with balance disturbances is Vestibular rehabilitation (VR), which includes vestibular adaptation, habituation and substitution, and patient education. Repositioning devices and mastoid vibration could help a subgroup of patients with BPPV who do not respond to conventional management. Betahistine dihydrochloride accelerates the recovery of function of vestibular system by improving blood flow in the inner ear, and normalization of the function of motion sensitive hair cells is faster. Betahistine-treated patients may have faster recovery, lesser recurrence, and longer relief of symptoms. The use of betahistine in combination with maneuvers can help prevent the development of residual dizziness.

Machine Learning Techniques for Differential Diagnosis of Vertigo and Dizziness: A Review

Vertigo is a sensation of movement that results from disorders of the inner ear balance organs and their central connections, with aetiologies that are often benign and sometimes serious. An individual who develops vertigo can be effectively treated only after a correct diagnosis of the underlying vestibular disorder is reached. Recent advances in artificial intelligence promise novel strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with this common symptom. Human analysts may experience difficulties manually extracting patterns from large clinical datasets. Machine learning techniques can be used to visualize, understand, and classify clinical data to create a computerized, faster, and more accurate evaluation of vertiginous disorders. Practitioners can also use them as a teaching tool to gain knowledge and valuable insights from medical data. This paper provides a review of the literatures from 1999 to 2021 using various feature extraction and machine learning techniques to diagnose vertigo disorders. This paper aims to provide a better understanding of the work done thus far and to provide future directions for research into the use of machine learning in vertigo diagnosis.

Age-Related Vestibular Dysfunction with Motion Sensitive Vertigo and Risk of Fall in Adults

Background: This ageing is physiological process associated with vestibular dysfunction. The incidence of vestibular problems increases with age and can lead to drops, dropping risk, lack of confidence, pain and depression. Vestibular disorder is commonly characterized by vertigo or body discomfort (look and aggravation of postural stability) (a sense of spinning movement). In older adults with a fall history, peripheral vestibular disorders are among the most frequently known and widespread vestibular dysfunctions. Aim: To associate vestibular dysfunction and motion sensitive vertigo and risk of fall in adults. Methodology: Cross sectional study with convenient non- random sampling. For tests has been applied for screening vestibular dysfunction. If a participant shows 2 tests positive have vestibular dysfunction. SPSS 21 is used for data analysis. Results: Highly significant results between association of age with motion sensitive and age with fall efficacy scale P value is less than 5. Results are also significant between MSQ and FES-1. Conclusion: After conducting this research it has been concluded. That age-related vestibular dysfunction significantly associated with motion sensitive vertigo and risk of fall. As with the age people are more concerned about fall Keywords: vestibular dysfunction, vertigo, risk of fall in adults

Representation of Body Orientation in Vestibular-Defective Patients Before and After Unilateral Vestibular Loss

Introduction: The unilateral vestibular syndrome results in postural, oculomotor, perceptive, and cognitive symptoms. This study was designed to investigate the role of vestibular signals in body orientation representation, which remains poorly considered in vestibular patients.Methods: The subjective straight ahead (SSA) was investigated using a method disentangling translation and rotation components of error. Participants were required to align a rod with their body midline in the horizontal plane. Patients with right vestibular neurotomy (RVN; n =8) or left vestibular neurotomy (LVN; n = 13) or vestibular schwannoma resection were compared with 12 healthy controls. Patients were tested the day before surgery and during the recovery period, 7 days and 2 months after the surgery.Results: Before and after unilateral vestibular neurotomy, i.e., in the chronic phases, patients showed a rightward translation bias of their SSA, without rotation bias, whatever the side of the vestibular loss. However, the data show that the lower the translation error before neurotomy, the greater its increase 2 months after a total unilateral vestibular loss, therefore leading to a rightward translation of similar amplitude in the two groups of patients. In the early phase after surgery, SSA moved toward the operated side both in translation and in rotation, as typically found for biases occurring after unilateral vestibular loss, such as the subjective visual vertical (SVV) bias.Discussion and Conclusion: This study gives the first description of the immediate consequences and of the recovery time course of body orientation representation after a complete unilateral vestibular loss. The overall evolution differed according to the side of the lesion with more extensive changes over time before and after left vestibular loss. It is noteworthy that representational disturbances of self-orientation were highly unusual in the chronic stage after vestibular loss and similar to those reported after hemispheric lesions causing spatial neglect, while classical ipsilesional biases were reported in the acute stage. This study strongly supports the notion that the vestibular system plays a major role in body representation processes and more broadly in spatial cognition. From a clinical point of view, SSA appeared to be a reliable indicator for the presence of a vestibular disorder.

Comparison of effectiveness of Cawthorne Cooksey exercise with Brandt Daroff exercise in managing post Epley’s residual dizziness in patients with posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the most common cause of peripheral vertigo. Vertigo and balance disorders are among the most common symptoms experienced in patients who visit ENT outpatient department. BPPV is a common vestibular disorder leading to significant morbidity and psychosocial impact. Residual dizziness is a common condition that manifests as persistent disabling imbalance after successful repositioning maneuvers for BPPV.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods: </strong>In this study we analysed and compared the effectiveness of Cawthorne Cooksey Exercise with Brandt Daroff Exercise to treat residual dizziness after successful Epley’s maneuver for posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. A total of 30 subjects with residual dizziness after successful Epley’s maneuver for posterior canal BPPV were included in our study, 10 were male and 20 were female. The Group A received the Cawthorne Cooksey exercise post Epley’s maneuver and Group B received the Brandt Daroff exercise post Epley’s maneuver. </p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> We conclude that both the groups have significant improvement in their symptoms and balance. This was indicated by the results. Despite the significant results within the groups, there was no significant difference between the groups, means both exercises showed almost equal improvement in their respective group.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This<strong> </strong>study concludes that both Cawthorne Cooksey exercise and Brandt Daroff exercise are helpful in treating residual dizziness after successful Epley’s maneuver in posterior canal BPPV patients. These exercises are safe and able to reduce subjective symptoms and imbalance hence, any of these can be recommended for treating post Epley’s residual dizziness in patients with posterior canal BPPV. </p>

Leveraging virtual reality for vestibular testing: Clinical outcomes from tests of dynamic visual acuity

BACKGROUND: Virtual reality (VR) use as a platform for vestibular rehabilitation is widespread. However, the utility of VR based vestibular assessments remains unknown. OBJECTIVE: To compare dynamic visual acuity (DVA) scores, perceived balance, and perceived dizziness when using traditional versus VR environments for DVA testing among healthy individuals. METHODS: DVA testing occurred for both a traditional clinical protocol and in a VR variant. Horizontal, vertical, and no head motion conditions were conducted for both clinical and VR test protocols. DVA scores, balance ratings, and dizziness ratings were obtained per condition. Two-way ANOVAs with repeated measures were used to assess differences in DVA scores, balance, and dizziness ratings. RESULTS: No differences in DVA results, balance or dizziness ratings were observed when comparing traditional clinical protocol versus the VR variant. Differences across head motion conditions were observed, with no motion trials exhibiting significantly higher DVA scores and perceived balance, and lower perceived dizziness compared to vertical and horizontal head motion. Vertical head motion exhibited this same trend compared to horizontal. CONCLUSION: DVA testing conducted in VR demonstrated clinical utility for each measure. Effects of head motion were similar across test variants, indicating DVA testing in VR produces similar effects on vestibular function than traditional clinical testing. Additional research should be conducted to assess the feasibility of VR assessment in individuals with vestibular disorder.

Effect of using smart phones on balance functions

Objective To investigate the effect of visual fatigue caused by smart phone on the balance function. Subjects and Methods Forty subjects divided into 2 groups were included in the present study . Group I, twenty normal healthy subjects with mean age of 28.8 years. Group II, twenty subjects with a clinical diagnosis of peripheral vestibular disorder with mean age of 38.85years. They were subjected to a computer vision syndrome questionnaire (CVS-Q) , occulomotor tests of videonystagmography (VNG) and sensory organization test (SOT) of computerized dynamic posturography (CDP) before and after visual fatigue induction. Results Significant differences existed between C5, 6 and composite scores in group I and in C4 and composite scores in group II after visual fatigue induction. However, there was no significant difference between occulomotor tests in both groups after visual fatigue induction. Conclusions The smart phone use can affect the balance function in healthy subjects and augment the deficit in those with balance problem. Reducing visual fatigue should be considered through various procedures as taking proper rest, adjusting the brightness of screen, avoid any wrong posture and using filters if possible.