Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, incidence and treatment.

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is characterized by acute vertigo that is accentuated by movements of the head. It can be identified by the presence of nystagmus triggered by certain head positions. Over a 1-year period, among 1,902 cases of different types of equilibrium disorders, there were 98 cases of BPPV including 63 BPPV ofthe posterior canal, 21 of the lateral canal, 13 combined (HC + PC) and one case affecting the anterior canal. Most of the cases were idiopathic. Treatment was based on the Semont maneuver for BPPV-PC. BPPV-HC was treated with the Vannucchi maneuver and a personal method. The one case of BPPV-AC was treated with a modified Semont maneuver. Satisfactory therapeutic results were noted in all cases. Cases with a long-term follow-up showed a high percentage of elimination of relapse after 24 months.