Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo in the elderly: current insights.

Balance disorders, unsteadiness, dizziness and vertigo in the elderly are a significant health problem, needing appropriate treatment. One third of elderly patients with vertigo were diagnosed with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), the most common cause of dizziness in both primary care specialist Neurology and Ear Nose Throat settings. BPPV presents a specific paroxysmal positional nystagmus which can be obtained using the appropriate diagnostic positional test and can be treated effectively using specific therapeutic maneuvers.

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo Secondary to Mild Head Trauma.

Objectives: We studied the clinical characteristics, nystagmographic findings, and treatment outcome of a group of patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) secondary to mild head trauma and compared them with a group of patients with idiopathic BPPV.

Methods: The medical records of 33 patients with BPPV associated with mild head trauma were reviewed. Data of a complete otolaryngological, audiological, neurotologic, and imaging evaluation were available for all patients.

Duration of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo as a predictor for therapy.

Objective: To evaluate the prognostic significance of the duration of disease in patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV).

Methods: We studied all patients with idiopathic BPPV of the posterior semicircular canal who were treated during 3 consecutive years, divided into 2 groups: those with recent disease onset (within 4 weeks) and those with more remote disease onset. Outcome of treatment by repositioning maneuver and rate of recurrence were compared.

Subcutaneous emphysema and pneumomediastinum after tonsillectomy.

Cervicofacial subcutaneous emphysema is a rare complication of tonsillectomy that often resolves spontaneously but may progress to obstruct upper airways or spread to the thorax causing pneumomediastinum or pneumothorax. The mechanisms by which subcutaneous emphysema and pneumomediastinum may develop after tonsillectomy are poorly understood. A case of a 21-year-old female undergoing routine adenotonsillectomy, who developed cervicofacial emphysema and pneumomediastinum, is presented.

A longitudinal study of changes in distortion-product otoacoustic emissions and pure-tone thresholds in an industrial setting.

In a longitudinal study of 76 noise-exposed industrial workers, 34 (68 ears) of them were available for final evaluation after 9 years of observation. Distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DP) at 65/55 dB SPL and pure-tone audiometry were used to detect noise-induced inner ear changes. Repeated measures analyses of variance were made on the subjects and in a control group, whereas significant threshold shifts (STS) and significant emission shifts (SES) were calculated.