Paroxysmal positional vertigo in skeet shooters and hunters.

Paroxysmal positional vertigo (PPV) is a high prevalence vestibular end organ disorder due to the detachment of the utricular otoconia floating in the posterior or lateral semicircular canal. In the majority of cases the etiology of PPV is unknown and it may follow viral infections, vascular disorders and head trauma. This report presents six cases (out of 520 diagnoses of PPV) of PPV following repeated training sessions of skeet shooting or gun shooting during animal hunting. The transmission of impulsive and vibratory energy from the shoulder to the cervical spine and the subsequent minimal whiplash injury ipsilateral to the side where the gun is placed on the shoulder may be considered to be responsible of the otoconia detachment.